Nasi Schotel
A beloved Dutch home-style baked rice casserole blending Indonesian nasi goreng seasoning, fragrant jasmine rice, diced ham, garden peas, and carrots, baked in a casserole dish beneath a melting blanket of mild Dutch cheese.
Ingredients
- • 400g day-old cooked jasmine or basmati rice
- • 200g smoked cooked ham or chicken, cut into small dice
- • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- • 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
- • 100g garden peas (fresh or thawed)
- • 3 tbsp ketjap manis
- • 1 tsp ground coriander (ketumbar)
- • 1 tsp ground cumin (djinten)
- • 150g young Gouda cheese (Jong Belegen), grated
- • 2 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- • 2 tbsp groundnut oil
Preparation Steps
Heat groundnut oil in a deep frying pan or wok. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic over medium heat until fragrant and translucent. Add the diced carrots and ham, frying for 3 minutes. Stir in the ground coriander, cumin, and ketjap manis, cooking until the spices release their sweet, warm aroma.
Add the cold cooked rice to the wok, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon. Stir-fry briskly over high heat for 4 minutes until every grain is coated in the savoury spiced sauce. Toss through the garden peas and remove the pan from heat to cool slightly.
Pour the beaten eggs into the lukewarm rice mixture and fold thoroughly; the eggs will gently bind the casserole as it bakes. Spread the seasoned rice into a buttered baking dish, gently smoothing the surface with the back of a spoon.
Scatter the grated Jong Belegen Gouda liberally over the rice. Place in an oven preheated to 190°C (170°C fan) and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted into a golden, bubbly layer and the edges turn pleasingly crisp. Serve with prawn crackers (kroepoek) and pickles.