Nasi Uduk
This Indonesian side builds jasmine rice, pandan leaves and shallots into a proper meal you can have ready in about 65 minutes. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for pan and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (4)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Rinse the jasmine rice in several changes of water until it runs clear, then drain well to remove excess starch.
- Bruise the lemongrass stalks and knot the pandan leaves, and finely slice the garlic and shallots.
- Combine the rice, coconut milk, water, salt and all the aromatics in a heavy pot, stir once, and bring gently to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally so the coconut milk does not catch.
- When most of the liquid is absorbed and steam holes appear on the surface, cover tightly, drop the heat to very low, and cook undisturbed for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the rice rest, still covered, for 10 minutes so it finishes steaming and the grains set.
- Remove the lemongrass, pandan, bay and lime leaves, then fluff the rice gently with a fork to separate the grains.
- Serve warm scattered with fried shallots, traditionally alongside fried chicken, omelette strips, sambal and sliced cucumber.
You'll use: Pan · Large pot · Saucepan · Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
- Lemon
- lime · 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
- Lime
- lemon
- Shallots
- ½ small onion + a little garlic
What to serve with Nasi Uduk
- Ayam Goreng Chicken
- Ayam Penyet Chicken
- Bakso Beef
- Bubur Ayam Breakfast
Tips & common questions
How long does Nasi Uduk take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 11 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Nasi Uduk vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Nasi Uduk is an original Indonesian recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Nasi Uduk McDonald.jpg by Pinerineks, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.