Lontong

Lontongis anIndonesian dishmade of compressedrice cakein the form of acylinderwrapped inside abanana leaf,commonly found inIndonesia,Malaysia, andSingapore. Rice is rolled inside a banana leaf and boiled, then cut into small cakes as a staple food replacement forsteamed rice. The texture is similar to that ofketupat, with the difference being that theketupatcontainer is made from wovenjanur(youngcoconutleaf) fronds, whilelontonguses banana leaf instead.
It is commonly callednasi himpit(lit. "pressed rice") inMalaysia, despite being created using other methods.
Arem-aremalso known aslontong isiis a smaller version oflontongand "halal" distant relative ofbakcang, filled with vegetables and occasionally meat, eaten as a snack.
The dish is usually served hot or at room temperature withpeanut sauce-based dishes such asgado-gado,karedok,ketoprak, other traditional salads, andsatay.It can be eaten as an accompaniment tococonut milk-based soups, such aslontong sayur,soto,gulai,andcurries.It is also used as an alternative tovermicellinoodles.
The origin of lontong is fromketupat. Both are made from the main ingredient of steamed rice in a banana leaf wrapper or young coconut leaf. Initially,lontongwas only considered as ordinary food. However, after the spread ofIslamtoJava, the tradition of eatinglontongandketupatbegan.Sunan Kalijagawas the first to introducelontongto Javanese people, includingketupat. This is part of theda'wahcarried out by Sunan Kalijaga at that time.Lontongis often served withGulai sauceand vegetables,chayote,tempeh,tofu,tauco,boiled egg,sambal,  andkrupukcrackers.
Lontongis traditionally made by boiling the rice until it is partially cooked and packing it tightly into a rolled-upbanana leaf. The leaf is secured withlidi semat, a wooden needle made from the central rib of coconut leaf, and cooked in boiling water for about 90 minutes. Once the compacted rice has cooled, it can be cut up into bite-sized pieces. Outer parts oflontongusually have a greenish color because of the chlorophyll left by the banana leaf rubbing off on the rice cake surface.
Alternative ways of cookinglontonginclude placing uncooked rice into amuslinbag and then letting the water seep in and cause the rice to form a solid mass.Another popular and easier method is by using commercially available plastic pouches; rice-filled and punctured with a needle to create small holes to allow the water to seep into the package, which are then boiled until the rice becomes cooked and has filled up the pouch. This method was meant to imitate the banana leaf's liquid permeability. Nevertheless, the use of organic banana leaves is highly recommended for better healthand ecological reasons.
On the other hand, Malaysiannasi himpit(lit.'pressed rice') is traditionally created differently. The method is more a mechanical pressure than applying permeable boiling technique; freshly cooked rice is compressed for a few hours between two heavy stone slabs or two trays with a heavy weight on top to producenasi himpit. However,nasi himpitis now usually speedily produced in water-permeable plastic sachets filled with rice and boiled in water.
Just like rice, the taste oflontongis bland and neutral, and it depends on other ingredients to give a taste through spices and sauces. Commonly,lontongserves as a compact alternative to steamed rice. It can be served with almost any traditional dish recipe as a staple food, but often is eaten withpeanut sauceorcoconut milk-based soup.
In Indonesia, especially amongBetawi people, lontong usually served aslontong sayur, pieces of lontong served in coconut milk soup with shreddedchayote,tempeh,tofu, hard-boiled egg,sambal,andkerupuk.Lontong sayuris related and quite similar toKetupat sayurand is a favourite breakfast menu next tobubur ayamandnasi uduk.
In Surabaya,lontong balapis made fromlontong,taoge(bean sprouts), fried tofu,lentho(fried mashed beans), fried shallots,sambal petisand sweet soy sauce. East Javaneselontongandtofurecipes are known for their distinctive flavour, acquired from a generous amount ofpetis(a type of shrimp paste).
The more elaborate recipe oflontongislontong cap go meh, aPeranakanChinese Indonesianadaptation of traditionalIndonesian dishes, lontong served with richopor ayam,sayur lodeh,sambal goreng ati(beef liver in sambal),acar,telur pindang(hard boiledtea egg),abon(beef floss), andkoyapowder (mixture of soy and dried shrimp powder).Lontong cap go mehis usually consumed by the Chinese Indonesian community duringthe Cap go mehcelebration.
Lontong dekem is originated fromPemalang Regency, Central Java. The process involves soaking the lontong  in soup until it is submerged hence the namedekemmeaning "immersion" in Pemalang Javanese dialect.
Lontong kariis lontong served in soupy chickencurryand vegetables. It is become specialty breakfast ofParahyanganregion.Kari was first brought to Indonesia by Buddhist monks from India.
Lontong bengkalis fromBengkalis Regency,Riau, consists of lontong, jackfruit soup, and peanut sauce. It is also sprinkled with anchovies and slices of green bird's eye chili.
InWest Sumatra, aMinang dishfromPadang Pariamanis calledlontong gulai pakis, lontong served with youngfernleavesgulai. Usually served with hard-boiled eggs andkerupuk jangekorkrupuk kulit(cow skin crackers).
Lontong kikilis lontong serve in spicycow's trotterssoup and vegetables.
Another lontong recipes arelontong kupangandlontong balapfromSurabayaandSidoarjoarea inEast Java.Lontong kupangis made oflontongserved withsmall white clams.
Lontong krubyukis a traditionalKarimunjawadish. The termlontong krubyukitself comes from the Javanese languagekrubyukorngrubyukmeans walking in water or puddles. This name corresponds to the appearance of a dish that contains a lot of gravy. A serving oflontong krubyukcomes withlontong, half-cooked bean sprouts, sliced celery leaves, and shredded chicken stew, and then poured with broth.
Lontong mieis one of the popular dishes inSurabaya. It consists of slices oflontong, yellow noodles, fried tofu,petis(shrimp paste sauce), bean sprouts,lento(black-eyed pea fritter), and fried shallots.
Lontong picalis aMinangfood. It is rice cake with noodles and vegetables smothered in thin peanut sauce also sprinkled withkrupuk.
Alontongdish fromBlora,Central Java. It is made of slices oflontong, fried tofu, and peanut sauce and served on a teak leaf plate.
Lontong tuyuhanis slices of rice cake with chicken and coconut milk soup. It is a delicacy ofRembang Regency.
Arem-aremis the smaller sizelontongfilled with diced vegetables such ascarrot,common bean, andpotatoseasoned with salt and red chili, or tofu,oncom,andtempeh; sometimes also filled with minced meat orabon(beef floss), are eaten as a snack. The rice is flavored withcoconut milk. This kind of snack is calledarem-areminJavanese, but commonly called simplylontongorlontong isiin other parts of Indonesia. It is a common snack in Java, and quite similar tolemper, but use common rice instead of sticky ricelemper. It usually uses a thin young banana leaf as a wrapper, a thin light yellow-green colored banana leaf.Lontongon the other hand, usually uses thicker mature banana leaves. The texture ofarem-aremsnacks is softer compared to those of commonlontong, due to the thinner banana leaf, addition of coconut milk, and prolonged boiling and steaming period.
It is commonly callednasi himpit(lit. "pressed rice") inMalaysia, and unlike lontong,nasi himpitis created by pressing rice overnight.Thelontongrice cake is cut into smaller pieces, these rice cake pieces are known asnasi himpit(compressed rice). The termlontongin Malaysia and Singapore usually refers to a dish that consists of rice cakes in a coconut-based soup such assayur lodehcontaining shrimp and vegetables like chopped cabbage, turnip, and carrots. Additional condiments are added either during cooking or in individual servings. These include things such as fried tempeh, fried tofu, boiled eggs, dried cuttlefishsambal, fried spicy shredded coconut (serunding kelapa), fried chicken, etc.
Nasi himpitis also an accompaniment to satay and is eaten with peanut sauce. In the east coast states of Peninsular Malaysia,nasi himpitis eaten with peanut sauce (kuah kacang) for breakfast.Nasi himpitis also one of the ingredients in the Malaysian version of chickensoto.