This is one of my favorite recipes. I make this recipe almost every week and it is one of my go-to weekday dinners: low FODMAP nasi goreng.

The recipe I use is my mum’s recipe. When I was younger this was also a recipe she often cooked. She would make a very big pan of nasi goreng and serve it with a slice of ham and a fried egg on top. And with onions, pickles, and sour cucumbers on the side.

And if we were lucky some prawn crackers too. We loved it so much that the entire pan was gone at the end of the meal.

I created a low FODMAP version of my mum’s nasi goreng and it has been one of the most popular recipes on Karlijn’s Kitchen ever since.

What is nasi goreng?

Nasi goreng literally means “fried rice” in Indonesian. It is typically made with leftover rice, soy sauce, garlic, shallots, and chili. Proteins such as chicken or shrimp can be added to it.

Nasi goreng is usually served with a fried egg (sunny side up) on top and garnished with fried onions, cucumbers, and prawn crackers.

It gets its distinct flavor from the ketjap manis, which is a sweet soy sauce, added to it. It’s a must ingredient that you shouldn’t skip!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• So Much Flavor! Do you think low FODMAP meals are bland? Think again! Even though this recipe doesn’t use any garlic or onion, this low FODMAP nasi goreng is full of flavor. Mainly thanks to the ketjap manis and spices mix used in the recipe.
  
• Homemade spices mix: for this nasi goreng recipe, I make my own spice mix. Pre-packaged nasi spice blends are a thing of the past because they contain high FODMAP ingredients. But luckily it is very easy to make your own spice mix.
  
• Nasi goreng is a crowd-pleaser: I have yet to find somebody who doesn’t like this dish!
• Easy to make: Even though I use a homemade spice mix, this dish is super easy to prepare. You can whip it up on a busy weekday evening quite quickly.
  
• Perfect for meal prep: This dish is ideal for making in large quantities. I often double the recipe and freeze half, so I have a delicious meal ready when I don’t have time to cook.
  
  You can easily scale this recipe x2 or x3 by clicking the scale options on the recipe card next to the ingredients.

The ingredients for low FODMAP nasi goreng

Making your own low FODMAP nasi goreng is not difficult at all. The base of this dish consists of:

• Basmati rice
• Chicken thigh: You can also use chicken breast, but I prefer chicken thighs because they have a bit more flavor.
• Sambal oelek: used to marinate the chicken. Make sure the sambal oelek does not contain any additives that are not low FODMAP, such as garlic.
• Ketjap Manis: Ketjap Manis is a sweet soy sauce from Indonesia. It contains a bit of wheat, but a small amount of wheat is not a problem for the FODMAP diet.
  
  If you can’t find ketjap manis, you can replace it with normal soy sauce and some brown sugar. Combine 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp brown sugar.
  
  Heat this on low heat and simmer until it has lightly thickened. It won’t be exactly the same, but it gets close to it.
  
  If you have to eat strictly gluten-free, you can substitute the ketjap manis for tamari and follow the process above where you add brown sugar to the tamari and heat it.

Vegetables

For the vegetables in this dish, I choose:

• Bok choy: 75 grams of bok choy is low FODMAP. So for four people, you can use up to 300 grams.
• Green bell pepper: I use green bell pepper because it is low FODMAP up to about 200 grams per serving. Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers are only low FODMAP in small amounts (35-40 grams), so you can eat much less of them, especially if you are still in the elimination phase. If you know you tolerate fructose well, you can use more.
• Carrot: Carrots are low FODMAP up to 500 grams per serving, so you can add them generously to this dish.
• Spring onion: For extra flavor, I use the green part of spring onion. The white part should be avoided on the FODMAP diet as it contains too much fructan and fructose.

You can also vary by adding extra low FODMAP vegetables, such as zucchini (max. 67 grams per person), bean sprouts (low FODMAP up to 500 grams), or the green part of leek (low FODMAP up to 500 grams).

Nasi Goreng Spice Mix

I made my own nasi goreng spice mix, and it is surprisingly easy to do. I love that I know exactly what ingredients my homemade spices mix contains and that there are no hidden additives that cause symptoms.

This is a delicious, fresh low FODMAP nasi goreng without pre-packaged mixes!

Spice Mix Ingredients:

• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp galangal (laos)
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp ginger
• A pinch of pepper
• A pinch of salt

Traditional nasi goreng often contains onion and garlic. For my low FODMAP nasi goreng, I use the green part of spring onion as a substitute for onion.

I also fry the chicken in garlic-infused olive oil. This way, you get the flavors of onion and garlic without the digestive issues!

Low FODMAP nasi goreng step-by-step

Step 1: We start by marinating the chicken thigh in a mix of sweet soy sauce (ketjap manis) and sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste).

Step 2: Chop up the veggies. Note: In the picture, you see yellow bell pepper. If you are still in the elimination phase I advise using green bell pepper.

Step 3: Fry the chicken, add the bacon and fry for a few minutes. Finally add the veggies and fry until they have softened.

Step 4. Add the spices mix and the rice.

Step 5: Ready to serve! I love to serve my nasi goreng with homemade sour cucumbers, pickles (make sure no onion has been added), a fried egg, and some plain prawn crackers.

Looking for a low-carb version of this recipe? I also have a recipe for carrot nasi goreng on the blog! 

Frequently Asked Questions about nasi goreng

Low FODMAP nasi goreng

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• Author: Karlijn
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Servings: 4 1x
• Diet: Low Lactose

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Description

Simple homemade low FODMAP nasi goreng with marinated chicken thigh, bacon, veggies and a homemade spices mix. Gluten-free and lactose-free.

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Ingredients

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For the nasi:

• 250 g (1 1/8 cup) white rice (I used basmati rice)
• 1 bok choy
• 1 green bell pepper*
• 2 medium-sized carrots (about 200 grams or 7 oz)
• 4 stalks of spring onion (only the green part)
• 300–400 g (10 – 14 oz) chicken thigh, cut into pieces
• 75 g (3 oz) bacon pieces (optional)
• 2 tbsp ketjap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)**
• ½ tsp sambal oelek (chilli paste)**
• 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 4 eggs

For the spices mix:

• 1 tbsp cumin
• ½ tsp ground galangal root (laos)
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• Pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

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Instructions

1. Boil the rice according to the instructions on the package. Put the rice back into the pan after draining it. Put the lid on and put it aside.
2. Mix the ketjap manis together with the sambal oelek in a bowl. Add the pieces of chicken thigh, stir, and leave it to marinate for 20 minutes.
3. In the meantime cut the bok choy, bell pepper, carrots, and spring onion into pieces.
4. Heat some garlic-infused olive oil in a pan and fry the chicken thigh and bacon pieces until cooked.
5. Add the bell pepper and the carrots and fry for a few minutes. Then add the spring onion and the bok choy too. Stir together and fry until all vegetables have softened.
6. Mix the spices for the spices mix in a bowl and add to the pan. Stir everything together.
7. Add the rice and stir everything together again. Taste the nasi and, if necessary, add some extra spices, salt, sambal, or ketjap manis
8. Fry the eggs in another pan and serve them with the nasi goreng. 

Notes

*Green bell pepper is low FODMAP up to about 200 g per serving. Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers are low FODMAP up to about 35-40 grams per serving. Because green bell pepper can be eaten in larger quantities, I advise using this when you are still in the elimination phase of the diet. 

**Check the FAQ and ingredient sections above for tips on replacing these ingredients if you can’t find them in your local store. 

• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 40 min
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Cooking
• Cuisine: Indonesian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 563
• Fat: 23
• Carbohydrates: 53
• Fiber: 3
• Protein: 32