Lontong

( Compressed Rice )

Lontong is an Asian dish made of compressed rice that is then cut into small cakes. Its very popular in Indonesia and Malaysia, the dish is usually served cold or at room temperature with sauce-based dishes such as Gado-gado, Soto Ayam, salads, and also it can be eaten as an accompaniment to other dishes such as curries. In Indonesia, you don't need to make it by yourself since you can get it ready in traditional market with cheap price.

Lontong is traditionally made by partly cooking the rice and packing it tightly into a rolled-up Banana leaves. The leaf is then secured and cooked in boiling water for about 2 hours ormore. Once it is cooled, the rice compacts and can be cut up into bite-sized pieces. And since I don't find banana leaf here, so I have to modify it by using alumunium foil instead. Here's how to make it.

Category : Rice

Difficulty : Medium

Cooking time : 2,5 - 3 hours

Ingredients

- 10 tablespoons of basmati/jasmine rice

- alumunium foil

- 750 ml water

Directions

1. Rinse and stir the rice very well under water until the resulting water becomes clear.

2. In a pan over medium heat, bring the water to a boil and add in the salt. Slowly stir in the rice then let it boil and cook until the rice become smooth (but not as smooth as porridge). Add more water if necessary.

3. When the rice is done, turn off the heat. Wait 5 minutes.

4. Take alumunium foil, wrap the rice (see the picture)

5. Boil the water and put lontong to cook for 2,5 to 3 hours. When cooking, puncture the foil with toothpick so the water will go through inside and make it cook. Add some water while cooking.