Merienda & The Filipino Love for Snacks
Take a break and savour the yummy flavours of Filipino Merienda snacks!
Nasi Goreng means “fried rice” in both the Malay and Indonesian languages. The history of Nasi Goreng can be dated back hundreds of years ago, when leftover rice was stir fried to kill harmful bacteria and to also avoid the need to throw out precious food. Influenced by the Chinese fried rice during the ancient trade, Nasi Goreng is Indonesia’s twist on this classic dish.
Nasi Goreng is also called the national dish of Indonesia due to its popularity. In most Indonesian households, Nasi Goreng is eaten at any time of the day. It’s often even served for breakfast in Indonesian hotels and restaurants.
Today, it’s also a popular late-night supper sold from street vendors almost anywhere in Indonesia. If you took a trip to a 7/11 in Indonesia, you’d probably also find frozen Nasi Goreng ready to microwave and eat.
The rice dish is traditionally cooked with meat, vegetables, spices and sweet soy sauce. Unlike other types of Asian fried rice, Nasi Goreng has a distinguished aroma due to the generous amount of caramelized sweet soy sauce and the addition of shrimp paste. It has an earthy and smoky flavour, and the taste is stronger and spicier compared to its cousin, the Chinese fried rice.
Though there may be different variations of the Nasi Goreng, a common ingredient across every recipe is the sweet soy sauce, or kecap manis.
The secret is to use a high quality kecap manis in your Nasi Goreng, such as ABC Sweet Soy Sauce, an authentic, high quality product made in Indonesia, naturally sweetened with sun-dried palm sugar, which gives it a distinct and intense combination of sweet, savoury, slightly smoky, malty, toffee-like flavours.
If you’re passionate about food like us, you will instantly find the difference in aroma, colour and taste when using ABC Sweet Soy Sauce, the top selling kecap manis in Australia. Once you’ve tried using this sweet soy sauce in your Nasi Goreng, you will never settle for anything less.
Indonesian Grilled Beef - The sauce is to die for in this dish. The mixture of ABC Sweet Soy Sauce in the Asian spices take the grilled beef to a whole new level.
Indonesian BBQ Beef Ribs - This dish is a crowd-pleaser. The umami of all spices blended in beautifully with the sweet soy sauce, your guests will sure to come back for seconds.
Balinese Tomato Chicken - Who would have thought you could cook chicken with the perfect balance of sweet, sour, spicy and savoury taste under 35 minutes?! The sweet soy sauce gives the whole dish extra punch.
Javanese Stir-Fry Chicken - Kaffir lime leave and coconut milk combined with sweet soy sauce in chicken are seriously addictive. You have been warned…
Balinese Fish with Tamarind Eggplant Sauce - Tamarind eggplant sauce go brilliantly with fish. The sweet soy sauce helps bring out the earthy flavour of the eggplant, giving your seafood dish an added layer of goodness.
Indonesian Spicy Sweet Pulled Pork - The spicy pulled pork married beautifully with the sweet and savoury goodness of the sweet soy sauce, making it a perfect dish for winter months. The chilli powder and chilli flakes have a kick, so feel free to reduce it to suit your palate.
Indonesian Vegetarian Skewers - A simple vegetarian or healthy alternative on the BBQ. Like all great marinades, the sweet soy sauce helps bring out the delicious flavour in your eggplants and zucchini.
Indonesian Spicy Soy Scrambled Eggs - Serve this alongside your fried rice or toast – it’s super easy to make. Sweet soy sauce gives a perfumed lift and rounds out the palate in the scrambled eggs.
