Rice Meals

How Many Calories in Nasi Ambeng?

A Javanese communal rice platter piled with ayam masak kicap, sambal goreng, serunding kelapa, urap, bihun goreng, and bergedel. Big, filling, and worth knowing the numbers before you dig in.

1080kcal / 1 portion (single-pax share from communal platter)
Nasi Ambeng comes in at around 1080 calories per portion, based on a single-pax share from a communal platter (about 700g total). That covers your rice, ayam masak kicap, sambal goreng, serunding kelapa, urap, bihun goreng, and bergedel all in one go. It is a full meal, not a snack, and the numbers reflect that.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 portion (single-pax share from communal platter) (700g)AmountPer 100g
Calories1080 kcal154 kcal
Protein50 g7 g
Carbs113 g16 g
Fat45 g6 g

Where the calories come from

Steamed white rice (175g)175g
230 kcal
Ayam masak kicap / chicken in soy sauce (1 piece with sauce)180g
260 kcal
Sambal goreng (tempeh, tofu, long beans)100g
150 kcal
Serunding kelapa (spiced coconut floss)25g
115 kcal
Urap, bihun goreng, bergedel (vegetables, noodles, potato fritter)220g
325 kcal

The real talk

1080 calories is a lot for one plate, but here is the thing: Nasi Ambeng is not just rice and one lauk. You are getting ayam masak kicap, sambal goreng tempeh and tofu, a small mountain of serunding kelapa, urap, bihun goreng, and a bergedel all at once. That is a proper Javanese spread, bro. The protein is decent at 50g, which is actually the silver lining here. The real calorie culprits are the serunding (coconut floss is calorically brutal for its size), the fried bihun, and the bergedel. Worth flagging too: this estimate is a ballpark. Hard nutritional data for Nasi Ambeng specifically is thin on the ground, so treat the 1080 figure as a reasonable estimate, not a lab result. Different stalls will portion things differently, and the amount of santan or coconut in the sides can swing the total by 100 to 200 calories easily.

What actually changes the maths is how generously the sides are scooped. The serunding is only 25g in a standard portion but hits 115 calories because dried spiced coconut is mostly fat. If the uncle gives you a bigger scoop, you could be at 150 calories just from that condiment. The bergedel and bihun goreng together are sitting at a big chunk of that 325-calorie combined side estimate. If you want to bring this meal down, those two are the easiest targets. Swap to rendang and the whole plate jumps to about 1200 calories, so the ayam masak kicap version at 1080 is already the lighter choice. At the end of the day this is a communal dish that is meant to be shared, and if you are splitting it properly four ways from the original platter, the numbers look a lot friendlier than eating a single-pax portion alone.

Nasi Ambeng variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Vegetarian (no ayam, extra tempeh/tofu)820 kcalReplace chicken with extra sambal goreng tempeh; removes ~260 kcal, adds ~130 kcal
Standard (ayam masak kicap)1080 kcalTypical hawker version with braised soy sauce chicken
With rendang daging (beef rendang)1200 kcalRendang is higher fat/calorie than ayam masak kicap; adds ~120 kcal per portion

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in Nasi Ambeng?
A standard single-pax portion of Nasi Ambeng is around 1080 calories, covering roughly 700g of food including rice, chicken, sambal goreng, serunding, urap, bihun goreng, and bergedel.
Is Nasi Ambeng suitable for someone on a calorie deficit?
It can fit, but you have to be honest with yourself. At 1080 calories it is a big meal. If your daily target is around 1600 to 1800 calories, this single plate takes up more than half. Have it as your main meal, skip the sugary drink, and keep dinner light.
What makes Nasi Ambeng so high in calories?
The serunding kelapa alone is 115 calories from just 25g because dried coconut floss is dense with fat. The bergedel (fried potato fritter) adds to it, and the bihun goreng has oil in there too. It is the combination of fried sides and coconut-based condiments that stacks the total up.

Related foods

See all Rice Meals calories, ranked →

Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical hawker or kopitiam serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

New to all this? Read how I went from 128kg to 86kg without cutting rice →

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