Lontong
Rice compressed and cooked inside banana leaf wrapping into a firm, dense, sliceable cake, genuinely different in role from the site's other Indonesian rice dishes like nasi goreng or nasi padang: those are complete, seasoned dishes in themselves, while lontong carries no seasoning at all and is never eaten as a standalone dish, functioning purely as a starchy accompaniment, the format served alongside opor ayam, soto, satay, and gado-gado. Real technique softens the banana leaves first, packs the rice in loosely to leave room for expansion, boils the parcels for about an hour, and critically rests and cools them before slicing, since cutting too soon leaves the rice mushy rather than properly firm.
Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice, rinsed
- Banana leaves, softened
- Pinch of salt (optional)
- Water
- Toothpicks or kitchen string, for sealing
Steps
- Soften the banana leaves by rinsing and briefly scalding them.
- Shape the leaves into tubes and pack them loosely, about two-thirds full, with rinsed rice.
- Seal the ends with toothpicks or string.
- Boil the parcels in water for about 1 hour, topping up water as needed.
- Let the parcels cool and rest fully before unwrapping and slicing.