Meanings
- SingaporeuncountableA Malay rice platter consisting of an assortment of meat and vegetable dishes, usually shared among four or five people.
I am a big fan of nasi ambeng as I like its riot of colours, aromas, flavours and textures. It reminds me of a child’s kaleidoscope – always full of delights and surprises.
2015 March 29, Tony, “Johor Kaki”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), retrieved 31 Oct 20152 more examples
The special thing about Nasi Ambeng is that the fragrant rice and about 7-8 dishes are traditionally served in large trays and eaten in groups of 4-5 people. This becomes sort of a feast culture in the Malay community.
2013 November 25, Suryanie Ismail, “Muslimbuzz”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), archived from the original on 08 Nov 2015To one of my Indonesian food researchers Marchel Handaya, Nasi Ambeng meant “eating outside” or having an outside meal, like a picnic. “But we don’t have anything like this in Indonesia”, he said, overwhelmed as he ogled the huge platter of rice with an array of spicy meats, eggs, potatotes and vegetables.
2015 April 20, KF Seetoh, “Makansutra”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), archived from the original on 03 Jan 2016
Origin
- Javaneseꦲꦩ꧀ꦧꦼꦁ“food offering served on a tray”
- Malaynasi“rice”
- Englishnasi ambeng
Malay nasi (“rice”) + Javanese ꦲꦩ꧀ꦧꦼꦁ (ambeng, “food offering served on a tray”)
More words from Malay, Javanese
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
nasi ambeng. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nasi%20ambeng
“nasi ambeng.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nasi%20ambeng. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nasi ambeng,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nasi%20ambeng.
Source: nasi ambeng on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.