U8B+-+Lontong


 * LONTONG**



Lontong is a compressed rice cake that is popular in Malaysia and Indonesia. Its ingredients consist of compressed rice, carrots, beans, potatoes and meat, and it is usually eaten with soups, stews, curries and salads. These type of rice dishes are eaten as snack food generally, and can be purchased in many Asian food shops and food carts selling Asia fare.

Traditionally, lontong is made by rolling partially boiled rice and vegetables in a banana leaf. Any type of rice can be used to make this dish, but many cooks prefer to use the long grained [|basmati rice]. This type of rice is more easily compressed and makes for a more solid rice cake.

The rice is first washed and then boiled over moderate heat, with a pinch of salt added to the water. The heat is then turned down and the rice is cooked for about 10 minutes. The pot is removed from the heat and set aside for a while to allow the rice to absorb the water and to cool down. The cooked rice is scooped out and placed on a well-washed banana leaf. The leaf is rolled tightly into a cylinder, and both ends are folded shut and secured with a clove or a toothpick.

 The banana leaf cylinder is boiled for about two hours. This process makes the banana leaf shrink and compress the rice. The cylinders are then removed from the hot water and allowed to cool. The banana leaf is unfolded and discarded, and the compressed rice roll is cut into small ready to eat pieces.

If banana leaves are not available, lontong can be made using steel molds or aluminum cooking foil; the steel molds are available in many Asian food stores. If cooking with the aluminum foil, it will be necessary to prick a few holes in the foil after the rice has been rolled up. The holes will allow the hot water to seep inside and cook the rice.

Lontong may be eaten with bakso, which is an Indonesian soup made with meatballs. Another favored Indonesian dish is satay or sate, which is grilled, skewered meat in peanut sauce. The typically Malaysian dishes that are eaten with lontong are sayur lodeh, which is a stew made with vegetables and coconut, and rendang, which is a meat and coconut spicy curry.

A rather similar compressed rice dish is [|ketupat], but here the rice is packed in palm leaves. The shape of the rice cake is made square instead of cylindrical. Ketupat is served and eaten in much the same way as lontong.


 * SAYUR LODEH **



Sayur lodeh is a type of vegetable soup made with a broth of [|coconut milk]; it is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and surrounding areas. There are two basic parts to sayur lodeh, a long list of vegetables such as [|cabbage], beans, carrots, turnips, onions and [|cauliflower], and then the broth and spice mixture that is prepared much like a curry from a paste of roasted aromatics and spices such as ginger, galangal, [|garlic], coriander and turmeric. Although the dish often is described as a vegetable soup, sayur lodeh is not necessarily vegetarian and traditionally includes dried or fresh shrimp and sometimes ikan bilis, or dried anchovies. The soup can be somewhat thick or it can be very loose and thin, depending on the type of coconut milk used and the amount of stock or water that is added. When completed, sayur lodeh can be served with rice, packed rice rolls, noodles or fried fish.

One of the defining factors in most recipes for sayur lodeh is the amount and variety of vegetables that are added to the dish. Some of the most common ingredients include [|green beans], carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, onions and broccoli. Less frequently, vegetables such as potatoes, turnips and [|celery] are added. All the vegetables are cleaned and then chopped into bite-size pieces so they cook evenly in the soup.

The base for sayur lodeh is made much like a curry would be. Spices are assembled, with some being roasted beforehand, and then ground together into a thick paste. Common spices include garlic, ginger, galangal, coriander, turmeric, cumin, [|chili] peppers and lemongrass. Dried shrimp or ikan bilis also can be ground into the mixture.

To make sayur lodeh, the spice mixture is placed in a hot pan and fried until the oils are released and the spices become aromatic. Coconut milk then is combined with stock, broth or water and heated in a pot. The cooked spice mixture is added to the coconut broth and cooked until the flavor spreads through all the liquid. The vegetables then are added to the pan and the entire dish is simmered until the vegetables have cooked.

Completed sayur lodeh can be served a bowl and garnished with fresh cilantro, or it can be poured over steamed white rice. Alternately, compact rice cakes or balls can be placed in the soup. In some areas of Indonesia, the soup is served alongside salted fish that has been fried until crispy.



=**HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A BOWL OF //LONTONG//??!!!**=



1. Sayur Lodeh for Lontong Ingredients: 2. 400g grated coconut 3. 200ml warm water 4. 30g dried chilies (ground finely) 5. 40g dried shrimp (ground finely) 6. 10g turmeric (ground finely) 7. 2 candlenuts (buah keras - ground finely) 8. 200g yam beans (bang kuang - cut into strips) 9. 50g long beans (cut into 5cm lengths) 10. 50g cabbage (cut into pieces) 11. 20g lemon grass (crushed) 12. 40g galangal (crushed) 13. 200g bean curd cake (cut into 4 pieces, deep fried till golden) 14. 800g compressed rice cakes (cut into pieces) 15. 2 hard-boiled eggs (shelled, halved) 16. 4 tbsps. grated coconut (stir-fried in dry pan till golden) 17. Salt to your liking
 * Recipe for Lontong with Sayur Lodeh**

1. Combine grated coconut with warm water. Squeeze out coconut milk. 2. Heat 6 tbsps. Oil in wok till hot. Stir-fry ground dried chilies, dried shrimp, turmeric and candlenuts till fragrant. 3. Pour in coconut milk and bring to boil over moderate heat. 4. Add yam beans, long beans, cabbage, lemon grass and galangal. 5. Cook till vegetables are softened. Stir in deep-fried bean curd cake and salt. 6. Arrange compressed rice cakes on serving dish. Add vegetable curry then sprinkle with grated coconut. Top with halved eggs. Serve with chili paste for those who like it hot.
 * Method :**

1. Rinse broken rice and soak overnight in water. 2. Drain the following day. 3. Line a metal tin with banana leaf or cloth then pour in the rice. 4. Place the metal tin in a pot of boiling water and boil for 60 minutes. 5. Leave it to cool completely before cutting it into pieces.
 * How to make Lontong or compressed rice cakes:**

Here's a link to a video to see how to make this dish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNPvJIAdDzg

Prepared by: Nur Adila binti Mohd Yunus Mohd Ismail Azizi bin Md Ishak