Nasi Lemak – A Singaporean Favourite

Are you looking for a catering company in Singapore that will prepare and deliver one of Singapore’s favorite dishes, the Nasi Lemak? At eatz Catering, we believe in catering the best in local dishes to do our country proud, so of course the famous Nasi Lemak cannot be left out of our menu!

About The Dish

There are many local food to try out – laksa, mee siam, satay, mee rebus and mee soto. However, nasi lemak is still the favourite among Singaporeans. Nasi Lemak (which in Malay literally translates to fatty rice) is a traditional Malay dish where rice is cooked with coconut milk and pandan leaves. The focus of the dish is on preparing and cooking the rice to become fragrant with rich creamy flavors. The rice is traditionally served with fried Ikan Bilis (anchovies), roasted peanuts, sliced cucumbers, fried crispy ikan selar kuning and sweet and spicy sambal chili. As a condiment, the sambal chili is a very important part of the Nasi Lemak.

It is believed that when the Malay community moved to Singapore, ingredients like coconut were added to increase the flavor of rice which then led to the discovery of Nasi Lemak. The side dishes which were offered with the Nasi Lemak rice included Kangkong from their gardens and anchovies fished from the sea. The dish was usually served wrapped in banana leaves back then. The Nasi Lemak is a dish that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

An article from 1935 that referenced the Nasi Lemak said that this dish was available in the Kuala Lumpur Malay Market at Kampong Bahru where packets of Nasi Lemak sold in the past were smaller from what they are sold today, and much cheaper at a mere 30 cents! Nasi Lemak was also sold by vendors who used to go door to door carrying rice wrapped up in banana leaves.

Variations in Nasi Lemak

Traditionally, the rice is cooked with coconut milk, garlic, species of ginger, shallots and lemongrass stalks. These spices are responsible for improving the sweetness and adding fragrance to the rice. Beginning from the 1980s,  Singaporeans gradually started to add more and more ingredients to the dish, such as achar (pickled vegetables), Otah (barbequed fish), long bean, fried chicken wings, hard boiled eggs or fried omelettes and rendang.

Although Nasi Lemak is a Malay dish, the Chinese started serving their own version with non-halal side ingredients like luncheon meat, fish ball and fish cakes.

Our Nasi Lemak Menu

Due to its wonderfully rich taste, Nasi Lemak has become one of Singapore’s favourite dishes. If you are planning to throw a party that features local flavours, this dish has got to be part of the menu! We have a large variety of Nasi Lemak sets in our Nasi Lemak catering menu that includes the classic dish, a vegetarian version, Japanese bento version and even a Nasi Lemak buffet. Take a look at some of them:

Classic set A:

This bundle is for $4 per person at a minimum 30 pax. The menu includes crispy chicken, peanuts, fish cake, omelet, ikan bills, cucumber, coconut Pandan Rice, Sambal, cutlery and serviettes

Classic Set C:

This bundle costs $4.50 per person at a minimum of 30 pax. The food includes coconut Pandan rice, Tempura Ebi prawn, peanuts, cucumber, sambal, fish cake, omelet, cutlery and serviettes.

>> Click here to check out all the other options!