Compressed Rice Cake With Veggie Soup (Lontong Sayur)

Hi There!

Hope this finds you well 🙂 I have so many recipes that I have yet share here. I have been a tad busy with kids as they caught the cold one after another. The little spare time I have, I would use it to record myself for my 100 Days of Ukulele Learning project, then only when I can, I would have Actifit up or a little blogging. So by the end of the day, I just don’t have much time to actually share something useful here lol

We have long week-end. But only at my son’s school, as the school is hosting track and field meets. So at the moment, while the boys are spending time together, thought I’d share this following dish 🙂

Compressed rice cake, is pretty known in South East Asian countries especially in Indonesia and Malaysia. We serve it with curry, soup, but most especially with satay (grilled meat). Originally made in banana leaves by boiling them for hours, today’s compressed rice cake are also made in heat-proof plastic wrapper. The other day I bumped to an article where there is a way to speed up in making the compressed rice cake, by steaming it. I gave it a try and here is I am sharing the recipes, yes 2 recipes as one. One is for making the veggie soup and the other is for making the compressed rice cake. They are served together as one tho 🙂

Veggie Soup

• 2 chayote, skinned, cut into matchstick, but not too thin
• 2 bags of tempeh @150 g each, if they are frozen, microwave for 1 minute, just to soften a bit, cubed
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 1/2 – 2 cans of water (using the can from the coconut milk as measurement)
• 1/4 small/medium onion
• 4 garlic
• 1/4 tsp turmeric ground
• 1/2 tsp coriander ground
• 1 small piece dried galangal
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 bird eye chilies
• 1/4 nooch (nutritional yeast)
• 2 tbsp Vegeta powder (or to taste)
• 1 tsp sugar

How To

• Into food processor, process garlic, onion and 3 tbsp water into smooth paste
• Heat oil, and saute turmeric, paste, galangal, coriander until fragrant
• Stir in tempeh and chayotte
• Pour in water and coconut milk, stir to combine
• Add in the rest of the ingredients, and bring to boil on medium heat, until chayotte tender

Compressed Rice Cake (Lontong)

• 1 kg rice, rinsed
• enough water to cover the rice (I like measuring with my 2 fingers, as shown on picture, so just below the heights of them fingers)
• clean banana leaves
• enough water for steaming
• a pinch of salt

How To

• Bring rice to boil and cook until water absorbed (rice would be still half raw)
• Preheat steamer
• Wrap half cooked rice in banana leaves, shaping it into rolls, if you like
• Steam for 45 mins

Now to serve, slice compressed rice and serve it with the soup. If you like spiciness, add Sriracha or Indonesian traditional chili sauce. Addition of crackers would be nice too, along with fried onion :)Bon appetit!

Print Recipe

Lontong Sayur

Compressed Rice Cake With Veggie Soup

Ingredients

Sayur

• 2 chayote skinned, cut into matchstick, but not too thin
• 2 bags of tempeh @150 g each if they are frozen, microwave for 1 minute, just to soften a bit, cubed
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 1/2 – 2 cans of water using the can from the coconut milk as measurement
• 1/4 small/medium onion
• 4 garlic
• 1/4 tsp turmeric ground
• 1/2 tsp coriander ground
• 1 small piece dried galangal
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 bird eye chilies
• 1/4 nooch nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp Vegeta powder or to taste
• 1 tsp sugar

Lontong

• 1 kg rice rinsed
• enough water to cover the rice I like measuring with my 2 fingers, as shown on picture, so just below the heights of them fingers
• clean banana leaves
• enough water for steaming
• a pinch of salt

Instructions

Sayur

• Into food processor, process garlic, onion and 3 tbsp water into smooth paste
• Heat oil, and saute turmeric, paste, galangal, coriander until fragrant
• Stir in tempeh and chayotte
• Pour in water and coconut milk, stir to combine
• Add in the rest of the ingredients, and bring to boil on medium heat, until chayote tender

Lontong

• Bring rice to boil and cook until water absorbed (rice would be still half raw)
• Preheat steamer
• Wrap half cooked rice in banana leaves, shaping it into rolls, if you like
• Steam for 45 mins

Notes

to serve, slice compressed rice and serve it with the soup. If you like spiciness, add Sriracha or Indonesian traditional chili sauce. Addition of crackers would be nice too, along with fried onion 🙂