[1][2] The Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia describes nasi uduk as rice cooked with coconut milk and seasoned with spices.

Sultan Agung of Mataram called this rice dish wuduk, from the Arabic word tawadhu' which means being humble before God.

[1] Despite its current popularity in the Jakarta area, historians suggest that the origin of this rice dish can be traced to the influence of two culinary traditions: Malay and Javanese.

[5] Soon, sega uduk became a part of syarat (mandatory dish) in Javanese syukuran or "gratitude" ceremonies, often called banca'an (alternative spelling: bancakan) or slametan.

Sega uduk can be found in a berkat,[9][10] a food package (usually contains rice, veggies, and side dishes), or served as a tumpeng, to be distributed after the ceremony.

Nasi uduk is made by cooking rice soaked in coconut milk instead of water, along with clove, cassia bark, and lemongrass to add aroma.

[12] For certain rituals or ceremonies, uduk is usually served with traditional Javanese dishes like kering tempe, urap vegetables, and sambel goreng (kentang/potato, krechek/cow's skin, teri/anchovy, etc.).

Jakarta's style nasi uduk call for sambal kacang, which is hot chili pepper paste mixed with ground peanuts.

In most of Pasar pagi traditional markets in Jakarta and surrounding areas, nasi uduk vendors can be easily spotted selling their breakfast offering every morning.

It can be found throughout the day; some roadside stalls open exclusively in the morning, noon, or night, depending on the demographics of the surrounding area.