How long will sambal fried rice keep?

If stored properly in an airtight sealed container in the fridge, it will last for 3-4 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through, until warm throughout.

Is sambal fried rice spicy?

With sambal being a paste made of chilies and garlic as well as the addition of fresh red chilies, this sambal fried rice is spicy. However, you can use a milder flavored sambal paste and less (or omit) fresh red chilies to make this recipe milder.

Is sambal fried rice the same as nasi goreng?

While nasi goreng does have sambal and is similar in some ways, sambal fried rice is different as it has more Chinese influences. One of the main differences is the use of Indonesian sweet dark soy sauce (kecap manis) over Chinese dark soy sauce in nasi goreng. The sweet dark soy sauce caramelizes while cooking and makes nasi goreng sweeter than Chinese sambal fried rice. Chinese sambal fried rice has a more savory flavor profile and is often made spicy by tze char (also spelled zi char ) eateries in Singapore.

Sambal Fried Rice with Chicken

Sambal Fried Rice

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Sambal Fried Rice is made with tender chicken pieces, scrambled eggs, fluffy rice grains, fragrant aromatics, and veggies and is tossed in a tantalizing savory-sweet and spicy sauce made with sambal!

Author: Lavina
Prep Time: 12
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 27 minutes
Yield: 2 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stir-fry
Cuisine: Singapore-Chinese

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken Marinade:

300 grams / 10.6 ounces Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless – cut into bite-sized pieces
¼ + ⅛ TSP Fine Sea Salt
¼ TSP ground White Pepper
1 TSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
1 TSP Corn Starch
1 TSP Peanut Oil (or other neutral flavored cooking oil with a high smoke point)

Sauce:

2 TSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
2 TBSP Sambal Pedas (Indonesian chili garlic sauce – note 1)
½ TSP Dark Soy Sauce
½ TSP White Sugar Replacement (or granulated white sugar – I used Lakanto Classic Monkfruit Sweetener)
½ TBSP Shrimp Paste with Soybean Oil (or any type of shrimp paste – note 2)

Sambal Fried Rice:

80 grams / ⅓ medium Yellow Onion – finely chopped
100 grams / ½ medium Red Bell Pepper – finely diced
20 grams / 4 Garlic cloves – minced
28 grams / 9 fresh Red Chilies (Thai Bird’s Eye or any other small hot red chilies – note 3*), to taste – finely chopped
20 grams / 1 medium Spring Onion (Scallion/Green Onion) – chopped
1 large Egg – lightly beaten in a bowl
240 grams / 1.5 cups cooked Thai Jasmine White Rice, day-old, chilled (100 grams / 3.5 ounces uncooked weight – note 4)
1 TBSP Peanut Oil
¼ TSP Fine Sea Salt
⅛ TSP ground White Pepper

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Instructions

Cook the chicken: Heat 1 teaspoon peanut oil in a large nonstick wok or heavy bottomed deep skillet over high heat. Add the marinated chicken pieces and immediately spread out the pieces in the wok. Allow to sear for 40 seconds, then stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until just cooked. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
Stir-fry the veggies and aromatics: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok over high heat. Add the yellow onion and red bell pepper and sauté for 30 seconds until starting to soften. Add the garlic and chilies and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds until fragrant.
Cook the egg: Push everything to the side of the wok and pour in the beaten egg. Allow to set for 15 seconds, then gently scramble and toss to combine with everything else.
Add the chicken: Add the chicken and toss briefly to combine.
Add the rice and sauce: Then add the cooked rice and pour the sauce on top. Stir-fry for 1 minute, flattening and pausing for 10 seconds 2-3 times, until every grain is evenly coated in the sauce.
Season and toss through spring onion: Season with fine sea salt and ground white pepper. Toss through the spring onion (reserve some for garnish). Switch off the heat.
To Serve: Divide evenly onto plates and sprinkle with the reserved spring onion. Serve immediately.

Shrimp Paste with Soybean Oil

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Notes

Sambal Pedas. This is an Indonesian chili garlic paste made with chilies, garlic, salt and sugar. I use I use a spicy (‘pedas’) version, but you can use a milder version. Huy Fong Sambal Oelek or Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce can be used instead.
Shrimp Paste with Soybean Oil. Shrimp paste is known by many different names like ‘belacan’, ‘gapi’, ‘kapi’, and ‘trassi’. It’s added to this sambal fried rice to enhance its flavors. I use a spicy Thai shrimp paste with soybean oil which comes in small glass bottles. It is less potent than the aforementioned shrimp pastes and adds spicy and savory delicious notes! However, any type of shrimp paste will work for this recipe though. Use whichever type you have on hand or can easily purchase.
Fresh Red Chilies. Use more or less to make this sambal fried rice as spicy or mild as you like. Leave them out if you prefer a milder dish.
Thai Jasmine Rice. Feel free to use long-grain Thai jasmine brown rice, or any other medium or long-grain cooked rice. Day-old or even 2-day old cold rice from the fridge works best for fried rice. It has less moisture than freshly cooked rice after chilling in the fridge overnight and is less likely to become mushy in the wok.
Meal Prep. Leftovers store well in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can make a double batch to enjoy during the week for an easy lunch or dinner. Click the ‘2x’ button at the top of the recipe card to double the ingredient amounts.
Storing and reheating leftovers. Store any leftovers in sealed airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through, until warm throughout.
See the ‘Variations’ section in the post if you’d like to customize this sambal fried rice recipe.