Campfire Skillet Indonesian Nasi Goreng with Garden Vegetables and Fried Eggs

Set a cast-iron skillet on a grate over a bed of glowing campfire coals, or over a camp stove burner on medium-high. Let the pan heat for 3 to 4 minutes until a drop of water dances and evaporates instantly.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked jasmine rice, chilled overnight (day-old is essential)
• 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 red chilies, seeded and minced (or 1 teaspoon sambal oelek)
• 1 cup farmers-market green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup sweet corn kernels, cut fresh from 2 ears
• 1 small zucchini, diced small
• 3 tablespoons kecap manis (sweet Indonesian soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
• 5 large eggs (1 beaten, 4 for frying)
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber and 1 lime, for serving

Instructions

1. Set a cast-iron skillet on a grate over a bed of glowing campfire coals, or over a camp stove burner on medium-high. Let the pan heat for 3 to 4 minutes until a drop of water dances and evaporates instantly.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil, then the shallots, garlic and chilies. Stir constantly for 60 to 90 seconds until fragrant and just golden at the edges. Coals run hotter than a home burner, so keep everything moving.
3. Add the green beans, corn and zucchini. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until the beans turn bright and the corn picks up a few dark blistered spots.
4. Push the vegetables to one side, pour the beaten egg into the clear space, and scramble it into soft curds before folding it through the vegetables.
5. Add the chilled rice, breaking up any clumps with your spatula. Spread it in an even layer and let it sit undisturbed for a full minute so the bottom crisps, then toss. Repeat twice more for the crackly texture that defines good nasi goreng.
6. Drizzle in the kecap manis and soy sauce, tossing until every grain is glossy and mahogany brown. Taste and adjust with a splash more kecap manis if you want it sweeter.
7. Slide the rice into a bowl and wipe the skillet. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and fry the 4 eggs over the coals until the whites are lacy and crisp at the edges and the yolks are still liquid.
8. Divide the rice among plates, top each with a fried egg, and scatter with scallions. Serve with cucumber slices and a wedge of lime to squeeze over everything.
9. Nasi goreng began as Indonesian thrift: yesterday's rice, revived over high heat so nothing goes to waste. That origin is exactly what makes it a natural campfire breakfast — you cook the rice at home or the night before, and morning at the campsite becomes a ten-minute affair over the last of the coals. The dish is eaten at every hour across Java and Sumatra, but breakfast is where it truly belongs, when a runny yolk breaking over smoky rice sets up the whole day. Late August gives you the sweetest corn and most tender green beans of the year, and both take beautifully to the char that only live fire delivers.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 486 kcal
• Protein: 16g
• Fat: 19g
• Carbohydrates: 62g
• Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 9g
• Sodium: 780mg