Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak served with anchovies, peanuts, egg, lamb curry, vegetables, and sambal belacan

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Nasi lemak is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and "pandan" leaf . Malaysia proclaims it its national dish and a national heritage of Malaysia, although it's widely served in other parts of the region. However, because of the nasi lemak's versatility in being able to be served in a variety of manners, it is now served and eaten any time of the day.Traditionally, this comes as a platter of food wrapped in banana leaves, with cucumber slices, small fried anchovies (ikan bilis), roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg, and hot spicy sauce (sambal) at its core. As a more substantial meal, nasi lemak can also come with a variety of other accompaniments such as ayam goreng (fried chicken), sambal sotong (cuttlefish in chilli), cockles, stir fried water convolvulus (kangkong), pickled vegetables (acar), beef rendang (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices) or paru (beef lungs). Traditionally most of these accompaniments are spicy in nature.Nasi lemak is widely eaten in Malaysia and Singapore, even as a dish served in Malaysian schools. Commonly a breakfast dish in both countries, it is normally sold at hawker food centres in Singapore and roadside stalls in Malaysia. It often comes wrapped in banana leaves, newspaper or brown paper,and it could be served on a plate.