Malaysian Coconut Rice with Sambal, Crispy Anchovies, Peanuts and Egg

Rinse the rice. Tip the jasmine rice into the sieve and rinse under cold running water, rubbing the grains gently between your fingers, 4-5 times until the water runs almost clear. Drain it well before it goes anywhere near the pan. Washing off the surface starch now is what keeps the finished rice light and separate rather than gluey.

Simmer the aromatics. In the saucepan, bring the coconut milk, water, lemongrass, pandan, ginger and the 0.5 tsp salt to a boil, stirring so nothing catches on the base. Letting these come up to the boil together dissolves the salt and starts drawing the lemongrass and ginger flavour into the coconut milk before the rice is added. A minute or two here is enough; you just want it bubbling.

Cook the rice covered. Stir in the rice, bring back to the boil, then cover, turn the heat right down to low and cook for 16-20 minutes without lifting the lid. The grains are ready once the liquid is fully absorbed and they feel tender when pressed. Keeping the lid shut traps the steam so the rice cooks evenly from top to bottom instead of drying out on top while the base overcooks.

Rest, then fluff. Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes before touching it. Fluff the rice through with a fork and lift out the lemongrass, pandan and ginger. This short rest lets the last of the moisture even out through the grains, so the rice isn't wet at the bottom and dry on top.

Boil the eggs. While the rice is cooking, lower the eggs gently into the small pan of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes, until the yolks are fully set all the way through. Cool them straight away in the bowl of cold water, then peel and halve. The full 10 minutes is what sets the yolk completely, and the cold-water shock stops the shell sticking to the white.

Dry the anchovies. Give the dried anchovies a brief rinse in cold water, then pat them completely dry with kitchen paper. This matters more than it sounds: any dampness left on them will spit violently in the hot oil and steam the anchovies instead of letting them crisp.

Fry the peanuts golden. Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium heat until a peanut dropped in sizzles straight away. Fry the peanuts for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until they turn from their red skin colour to a deep golden brown, bearing in mind they'll darken a touch more as they cool. Frying gently like this cooks them through to the centre without scorching the outside.

Crisp the anchovies. Add the anchovies to the same oil and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until they are very crisp and golden. Lift everything out onto the paper-lined plate with the slotted spoon and sprinkle over the sugar, but don't add any salt, since the anchovies are already salty on their own. The hot oil drives off the last moisture fast, which is exactly what gives them their crunch.

Shape and serve. Press a quarter of the warm rice into the small bowl, then turn it out onto each plate so it holds its dome shape. Arrange the sambal, crispy anchovies, peanuts, egg halves and cucumber around the rice and serve straight away while everything is at its best. The rice is deliberately plain against the punchy toppings, so each forkful is a different balance of salty, crunchy and fresh.