The secret ingredient: TERASI

Thanks to CNN’s 2017 acknowledgment, Indonesia’s fried rice or “nasi goreng” was propelled onto the global stage.?But fried rice isn’t a new food item. ?So, what makes Indonesia’s nasi goreng special??What is that secret ingredient? I believe it’s terasi. ?

While the exact origins of fried rice are lost to history,?it's believed that it was invented sometime during the Sui dynasty (A.D. 589–618), in the city of Yangzhou in eastern Jiangsu province.[1] ?One would assume fried rice then spread to other countries in tune with the migration of the communities originating from mainland China, where each community then incorporated the original fried rice with the local food source, herbs and spices.?

Joseph “Aji” Chen, Deputy Coordinator of The Expert Council of the Indonesian Chinese Peranakan Association (Aspertina) said, “In the 10th century, fried rice was introduced by Chinese traders who visited the Sriwijaya Kingdom in Indonesia. They created a fried rice that adapted to local specialties and methods of frying.”[2]

If you follow the route of the Chinese traders to Kerajaan Sriwijaya, you will find that the trail of this historic Kingdom settled in the Java Island, including the Cirebon province where a special cooking ingredient called “terasi” originated.?Terasi is a cooking spice made from tiny fermented fish and/or shrimp which we fondly name “rebon” molded into a doughy or solid cylinder or rectangle block, with color varying from reddish, to brown, to black depending on the percentage of tiny fish or shrimp used.

Terasi was created during the reign of the Sultan of Cirebon I, Prince Walangsungsang or Prince Cakrabuana, who was known to be a connoisseur and would often spare his personal time to fish for these tiny shrimps and make his own terasi.

In my personal collection of Indonesian cookbooks, in 1902 Dr Oetker’s Nederlansche en buitenlandsche Recetenboek (Dr Oetker’s Dutch and Foreign Recipe Book) the recipe for an Indonesian fried rice, includes one (1) teaspoon of terasi.

So, should you be missing the Indonesian fried rice or are curious to what’s so good about it, I would advise you to get hold of the secret ingredient first; terasi.?

Then, whether by food grinder, food processor, mortar and pestle or the Indonesian wooden or stone “ulek”, incorporate it into the base of the fried rice ingredients of red shallots, garlic and red chilies. ?You can mash it as it is, or if you want the true authentic taste, toast it first either with direct fire or indirectly on a pan or in the oven.?Warning: terasi has a strong distinctive smell (like all good fermented food items) and depending on which country you’re in, you may receive some protests from your neighbors if you toast it.

The next step is to fry this base paste on a non-stick pan until the chilies start to bleed some oil.?Place this terasi base paste to the side, wipe the pan and heat some oil again until it’s really hot.?Then, add the loosely beaten eggs, stir until almost cooked and then add the cooked rice and mix in the terasi base paste you had put aside.?

The smell from this process alone is addictive and may convert you into an Indonesian nasi goreng lover.?

If you want to add any proteins like left-over cooked chicken, it would be after the terasi, eggs and rice are mixed well.?Some Indonesians would add sweet black soya sauce (kecap manis) or other spices into their nasi goreng. But I don’t because my memories of the nasi goreng that my grandma and mom made for me is without kecap manis, served with ribbons from an egg omelet (yes, another addition of eggs into the dish), abon (meat-floss), acar timun (pickled cucumber) and krupuk udang (prawn crackers).

If you look on YouTube, there are literally hundreds of videos on how to make the Indonesian nasi goreng.?But I would recommend you looking at “Ngobrol Seru Sambil Masak Nasi Goreng Bareng Master Kuliner, William Wongso Part 02” as William Wongso is Indonesia’s culinary gem and legend.?Or, my newly personal favorite: Devina Hermawan “Istimewa Tetap Praktis! Resep Nasi Goreng Kampung (ala Hotel)” which has English sub-titles.

According to Murdijati Gardjito, Professor of Food Science and Technology, Gadjah Mada University, who has been exploring, studying, researching and developing traditional Indonesian food since 2003, in Indonesia, of the 34 provinces, 17 provinces have their own signature “nasi goreng” which then becomes the base of 36 types of nasi goreng throughout the Country.?But I believe, the uniquely winning star of Indonesian nasi goreng is the one with the secret ingredient.

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[1] https://www.thespruceeats.com/fried-rice-recipe-695037#:~:text=While%20the%20exact%20origins%20of,Yangzhou%20in%20eastern%20Jiangsu%20province.

[2] “Nasi Goreng Indonesia: Cita Rasa Mendunia” by Murdijati Gardjito, Dwi Larasatie & Nur Fibri, published by Nigtoon Cookery, 2020.