Nasi Goreng – Indonesian Fried Rice with homemade tomato paste

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade tomato paste ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Wash the tomatoes, remove the cores and quarter each tomato.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Put the tomatoes, the salt and half of the olive oil in a wide pot, cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill or sieve and return the purée to the pot: the skins and seeds stay behind.

   Food millorFine sieve
4. 4
   Cook uncovered about an hour at a lively simmer, stirring now and then, until the purée reduces by half.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡The paste burns easily as it dries: stir and scrape the bottom and edges, and once it is thick, don't walk away.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
6. 6
   Grease a wide baking dish with the rest of the olive oil and pour in the purée in a thin layer. Dry in the oven about 3 hours, stirring and scraping the edges every 30 minutes, until the paste is thick, sticky and brick red.

   OvenBaking sheetSilicone spatula
7. 7
   Let the paste cool.

   Jar

To assemble

1. 8
   Heat the oil in a wok over very high heat.

   StoveWok

   💡Very high heat and a large pan: the vegetables char instead of steaming, and don't overcrowd the pan.
2. 9
   Add the onion and fry 3 minutes, tossing.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 10
   Add the garlic, chili and tomato paste and fry 1 minute, until fragrant.

   Stove
4. 11
   Add the cold rice, separate the grains with a spatula and stir-fry 4 minutes over high heat.

   StoveSilicone spatula

   💡Cold, dry day-old rice stays in separate grains; hot fresh rice releases steam and starch and sticks together in a lump.
5. 12
   Add the soy sauce and stir-fry another minute, until the rice is coated in the sauce.

   Stove
6. 13
   Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.

   StoveFrying pan
7. 14
   Gently crack the eggs into the pan.

   Stove

   💡Crack the egg into hot but not smoking fat: in fat that's too hot, the white burns at the edges before it sets near the yolk.
8. 15
   Season and fry 3–4 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still soft.

   Stove
9. 16
   Divide among plates and top each serving with an egg.

   Plate
10. 17
    Serve immediately.