Nasi Goreng Kampung

This is our latest craze... "our" i.e. Noel, me and... Barb (I think).  Frid likes this too if I'm not mistaken.  It's hard to get a nice plate of nasi goreng kampung out there.  Most of them will leave out the kangkung and puts in just a measly amount of pusuk.  Epic fail.

This is a bastardized version because I added in carrot for the colours.  Kampung manada carrot.  It had a good crunch.  This one is without topping yet, photo taken right in the wok,

What is your definition of Nasi Goreng Kampung?  My definition includes must have Kangkung.

Had this in the office for breakfast.  Even after mixing into the rice, the pusuk remained crunchy.

I don't really like buying / ordering kangkung... I remember a long time ago, there was a story about someone having leeches in her stomach because she ate kangkung.  The leeches eggs were in the hollow stem of the kangkung.  Since then, I stopped eating kangkung.  It's still not my fav, but sometimes i do crave for it.  and when I do, I will buy the smallest stem I can find (i.e. no way the leeches can lay their eggs there), and I will cook it myself at home after 1000x soaking and washing.  It still creeps me out to eat kangkung.  But.... what's nasi goreng kampung without the kangkung?!

A healthy plate if I might say... lots of veg.  Long bean and kangkung.  I love having the long beans in this nasi goreng kampung too; it gives the crunch factor.  But, it's not a must-have in comparison with kangkung.

Another must have is lots and lots of anchovies (Bilis in BM; Pusuk in Sarawak local malay).  In my rendition of Nasi Goreng Kampung, there are 2 kinds of anchovies that needs to be in it.  1)  The one that you pound and fry IN the rice and 2)  The ones that you fry till crispy and top it on the rice (and later mix it up with the rice).  Noel used to hate nasi goreng with pusuk, but now, he is hooked on this nasi goreng kampung with lots and lots of pusuk.

We always put in pusuk into the children's porridge when they were still small.  And in the veg soup we give them too.  It's a good (and was a cheap source of calcium).  I super love eating this on its own (or with beer!)

There are 2 things I am grateful for when I'm cooking nasi goreng kampung.  1)  That I have Sabahan friends here in Kuching; they will always readily bring back fresh and beautiful pusuk for me.  Sometimes; FOC!  And 2)  I am extremely grateful to have the air fryer given to me by Frid.  It annoys me that she would spend so much for me, but still am very grateful.  I now use it to fry our never ending stock of must have crispy pusuk.

The beautiful brownish shade coating the rice is the pounded ingredients (pusuk, shallot, garlic, chilli and belacan).  Don't skip this.  This is an absolute MUST.

This is my agak - agak recipe for nasi goreng kampung.  Please adjust according to your taste.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of cooked rice

A handfull of pusuk; soaked till soft *

1 shallot*

1 garlic*

3 chillies*

A few cm of prawn paste belacan*

*pound all these roughly

A handfull of kangkung

A few stands of long bean (slice thinly)

1 egg

Topping:  Crispy fried pusuk.

Method
1.  Heat oil

2.  Fry all pounded ingredients till fragrant and "crispy".

4.  Push to one side.  Fry in egg.

3.  Add in rice.

4.  Add in veg (kangkung and long bean).

5.  Mix to ensure that rice grains are coated with pounded ingredients.

6.  Add salt to taste if needed.

7.  Dish up.  Top with as much crispy fried pusuk as you like.