Nasi Pecel (Javanese Vegetables, Tempeh and Egg with Peanut Sauce)
A rice bowl of blanched greens, beansprouts, fried tempeh and boiled egg under thick peanut sauce.
Made with Satay sauce and Sambal oelek (chilli sambal). Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time35 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £1.57 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Rinse the rice, then cook with 500 ml water in a covered pan: bring to the boil, turn the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes, then rest off the heat for 10 minutes.
12 min - 2
Boil the eggs for 8 minutes, then cool in cold water, peel and halve.
8 min - 3
Toss the tempeh with the tamari. Fry in the oil over a medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until crisp and golden.
7 min - 4
Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes, adding the spinach and beansprouts for the last 30 seconds. Drain well.
3 min 30 s - 5
Warm your ready made satay sauce (see the base recipe) with a splash of water until steaming hot and pourable.
- 6
Serve the rice in bowls with the vegetables, tempeh, egg and cucumber. Spoon over the sauce and add sambal from your base recipe.
Tips
- Blanch each vegetable briefly, then drain well, so the sauce clings instead of running off.
- Steam the tempeh for 5 minutes first if you find its flavour strong. It will fry more evenly.
- Cool leftover rice quickly and eat within a day, as rice can carry bacteria that survive cooking.
Storing and freezing
Keep the components separately for 1 day in the fridge, cooled within 1 to 2 hours. Reheat rice only once, until steaming hot all the way through.
Questions
What is pecel?
Pecel is a Javanese dish of blanched vegetables served with a spicy peanut sauce. Nasi pecel adds rice, and often tempeh and crackers.
Is tempeh gluten free?
Plain tempeh made from soya beans is, but some varieties contain grains such as barley or wheat. Check the label.
Can I make it vegan?
Yes. Leave out the eggs and add a second block of tempeh or some pan fried tofu.
More made with satay sauce
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.