Nasi Uduk

Nasi Uduk is Betawi (Jakarta) comfort food at its most luxurious — coconut rice with a parade of side dishes, all meant to be eaten together. The name is Betawi Malay: *nasi* (rice) and *uduk* (a method of cooking rice in coconut milk). The technique is simple but precise: rice is cooked in a mixture of coconut milk, pandan leaves, lemongrass, ginger, and a little salt. The result is a fragrant, slightly sweet, slightly savory rice that is more aromatic than plain steamed rice. A complete Nasi Uduk platter is a small encyclopedia of Indonesian breakfast: the coconut rice, fried chicken (or *ayam goreng kremes* — chicken with a crisp grated-coconut coating), fried tempeh, fried tofu, sambal, *serundeng* (toasted grated coconut), cucumber slices, and *bihun goreng* (fried vermicelli). The dish is the breakfast of Jakarta, served at every *warung* in the city from 5 a.m. onward. The most famous version is *Nasi Uduk Kebon Kacang* — a small warung chain that has been operating since 1972 and now has 30+ branches. Nasi Uduk is to Jakarta what Nasi Lemak is to Malaysia — a breakfast that defines the city.