Nasi Lemak

Ingredients

Coconut Milk Steamed Rice

2 cups of rice
3 screwpine leaves
Salt to taste
1 small can of coconut milk
Water

Tamarind Juice

1 cup of water
Tamarind pulp (size of a small ping pong ball)
Dried anchovies sambal
½ red onion
1 cup dried anchovies
1 clove of garlic
4 shallots
10 dried chillies
1 tsp belacan (prawn paste)
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Other ingredients

2 hard boiled eggs, cut into half
3 sardines
1 small cucumber, cut into slices and then quartered

Directions

Just like making steamed rice, rinse your rice and drain. Add the coconut milk, a pinch of salt, and some water. Then just add a couple of pandan leaves and leave to cook.
Rinse the dried anchovies and drain the water. Then fry until the anchovies turn a light, golden brown before putting them to one side.
Using a pestle and mortar, grind the prawn paste with the shallots, garlic, and deseeded dried chillies. You can also use a food processor.
Slice the red onion into rings. Soak the tamarind pulp in water for 15 minutes and then squeeze repeatedly to extract as much flavour as possible into the water. Remove the pulp and set aside.
Heat some oil in a pan and fry the spice paste until fragrant. Add in the onion rings and the ikan bilis and give a good stir.
Add tamarind juice, salt, and sugar. Simmer on low heat until the gravy thickens and put to one side.
Cut the sardines in half and season with salt before deep frying. Cut the cucumber into small cubes.
Dish up the steamed coconut milk rice and with a topping of sambal ikan bilis. Serve with the fried fish, hard-boiled eggs and cucumber.