Chef-tested recipe
Nasi katok is a familiar affordable meal across Brunei: steamed white rice, fried chicken and a punchy sambal, traditionally packed as a simple serving. The sauce varies from stall to stall. This home version k
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Cuisine
- Bruneian
- Course
- Main dish
- Cooking Method
- Rice steaming, sambal reduction and chicken frying
- Best Served With
- Hot steamed rice, freshly fried chicken and chilli sambal.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 350 g uncooked jasmine rice, rinsed paid link
- 520 ml water for rice, or according to the rice package
- 900 g chicken legs or bone-in thighs, divided into 4 portions
- 30 ml lime juice
- 20 g finely grated ginger
- 18 g crushed garlic for the chicken
- 5 g fine salt, plus 2 g for the sambal paid link
- 3 g ground turmeric
- 2 g ground black pepper
- 400–600 ml neutral oil for frying, according to pan size paid link
- 150 g ripe tomato, chopped
- 100 g shallots, chopped
- 45 g rehydrated dried red chilli, seeded for a milder sauce paid link
- 12 g garlic for the sambal
- 20 ml neutral oil for cooking the sambal paid link
- 15 g palm or brown sugar paid link
- 15 ml lime juice for the sambal
Method
Prepare the chicken. Pat chicken dry and coat with 30 ml lime juice, ginger, 18 g garlic, 5 g salt, turmeric and pepper. Refrigerate for 20 minutes while preparing the sauce.
Start the sambal. Blend tomato, shallots, softened chillies, 12 g garlic and a splash of clean water into a paste. Heat 20 ml oil in a saucepan and cook the paste on medium-low for 15–20 minutes until thickened and fragrant. Stir in sugar, the sambal salt and 15 ml lime juice. Keep hot or chill promptly.
Cook the rice. Rinse jasmine rice until the water is mostly clear. Add 520 ml water to a lidded pot, bring to a boil, cover and simmer very gently for 12–15 minutes. Rest, covered, for 10 minutes; fluff before serving.
Fry the chicken. Heat frying oil to about 170°C in a stable high-sided pan, with plenty of room above the oil. Fry chicken in batches, generally 12–18 minutes for medium bone-in pieces, turning as needed. Check the thickest meat reaches at least 75°C, avoiding the bone.
Drain and serve. Rest chicken on a rack. Serve one piece with a scoop of rice and a separate spoonful of sambal, packing the sauce separately if preparing takeaway portions.
Beginner Technique Notes
- Nasi katok is defined by its simple rice–chicken–sambal combination, not one fixed sambal recipe.
- Keep the oil temperature steady; overcrowding produces greasy chicken and uneven cooking.
- For a less spicy sauce, remove the chilli seeds and replace some chilli with tomato.
Substitutions and Variations
- Boneless chicken thighs can be used; shorten frying time and verify the internal temperature.
- Cook the chicken in an air fryer for a lighter adaptation, clearly distinct from the traditional fried version.
- Use milder fresh chilli instead of dried chilli if necessary.
Storage and Food Safety
Cool cooked rice quickly, preferably within 1 hour; refrigerate at 4°C or below and eat within 24 hours. Refrigerate cooked chicken and sambal in separate containers within 2 hours and use within 2 days. Reheat rice only once and chicken to at least 75°C.
Serving Suggestions
Hot steamed rice, freshly fried chicken and chilli sambal.
Allergen Notes
The base preparation does not intentionally use common major allergens, but verify spice blends and commercial sambal ingredients. Fried foods may encounter cross-contact in shared oil.
