How Many Calories Are In Nasi Lemak
Nasi lemak is a very popular and versatile dish which can either be served as breakfast or any meal of the day.
The traditional nasi lemak plate consists of coconut milk rice, ikan bilis (fried anchovies), cucumber slices, egg and a generous amount of nasi lemak chili sauce, in addition to this, a wide range of ala-carte sides are usually offered by hawkers.
These top up sides include the well sought after deep fried chicken wings, to fried fish and a range of vegetable dishes. By taking into account the contents of a traditional plate, nasi lemak calories are about 500 Cals, this makes up one quarter of a daily average recommended calories of 2000 Cal. [1]
Generally, nasi lemak has been considered an unhealthy serve, on the contrary, it was mentioned that the traditional plate of nasi lemak is one of the healthiest breakfast there is.
Here, we will discuss why nasi lemak is indeed nutritious and what actually makes it go the other way.
Nutrition Information (Per Serving)
- Energy: 494 Cal
- Protein : 13 g
- Total fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 80 g
- Dietary fibre: 6.5 g
- Cholesterol : 76 mg
- Sodium : 838 mg
The reason why nasi lemak is said to be healthy is because the traditional nasi lemak fulfills our major macronutrient requirements.
The coconut steam rice provides carbohydrates and fats, the egg and peanuts provide adequate protein and cucumbers are a great source of fiber.
What Makes Nasi Lemak Unhealthy?
The dish has been “modified” through the years to become the more palatable and flavoursome version we now all know very well of.
The ala-carte deep fried options that usually accompany this dish, such as chicken wings, fish cake, fish sticks, ham flicks it’s unhealthy meter into the red zone.
Not only will the overall calories be increased, the high fat, cholesterol and sodium levels are inherent in deep fried food fare.
How to Make Your Nasi Lemak Healthier?
There are alot of other healthier option sides that can be added, such as lightly stir fried cabbage or other sorts of vegetables.
Do ask for more hard boiled eggs and cucumber slices. Ask for lesser condiments to reduce the sodium intake.
Some really good advice that was mentioned, when making home cooked nasi lemak, is to use low fat coconut milk to steam with basmati rice, air fry the anchovies and peanuts, and go easy on the salt.
It would also be advisable to prepare another plate of vegetables to increase the overall fiber content.
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