Lontong for Hari Raya: Rice Cakes in Vegetable Coconut Gravy

On Hari Raya morning, after prayers and asking forgiveness from family, many Malaysian homes serve lontong. It is a comforting bowl of compressed rice cakes in a mild, golden vegetable gravy cooked with coconut milk, often called sayur lodeh. Topped with sambal, serunding and a boiled egg, it is a festive breakfast that feeds a crowd.

Lontong also appears at weddings, open houses and weekend breakfasts all year. It is a forgiving dish for a busy host: the gravy is flexible, the toppings can be bought or made ahead, and one big pot stretches easily when extra relatives turn up. Here is a home method that is easy to scale up.

Ingredients (8 to 10 servings)

Rice cakes: 2 cups white rice, or ready-made nasi impit or ketupat packs from the supermarket.

Vegetable gravy (sayur lodeh):

• 1 small cabbage, cut into chunks
• 200 g long beans, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 small turnip (sengkuang), cut into strips
• 4 pieces firm tofu (tauhu), fried and cut, and 2 pieces tempeh, fried and cubed
• 50 g dried glass noodles (tunghoon), soaked (optional)
• Half a cup dried prawns, soaked and pounded (optional)
• 800 ml coconut milk and 800 ml water
• Salt and a little sugar to taste

Spice paste: 10 shallots, 4 cloves garlic, 2 cm turmeric, 2 cm galangal, 2 stalks lemongrass, 3 candlenuts (buah keras) and 3 to 4 fresh red chillies.

Making Rice Cakes at Home

Traditional lontong is cooked in banana leaf rolls, and ketupat in woven palm leaf casings, for several hours. A simpler home version is nasi impit:

1. Cook the rice with slightly more water than usual so it is soft.
2. While it is still hot, mash it lightly with a wet spoon and press it firmly into a square container lined with banana leaf or cling film.
3. Cover, place something heavy on top and leave it to cool for several hours or overnight.
4. Cut into cubes with a wet knife.

Boil-in-bag rice packs sold for ketupat and nasi impit are also widely available and save a lot of time during the festive rush.

Cooking the Gravy

1. Blend the spice paste ingredients until smooth.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large pot. Fry the paste with the pounded dried prawns on medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until fragrant and the oil starts to separate.
3. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and turnip first, as they take longest. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the long beans and cabbage and simmer another 5 minutes.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and stir gently. Keep the heat at a low simmer and stir often so the coconut milk does not split.
6. Add the fried tofu, tempeh and glass noodles. Season with salt and a little sugar. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes until everything is heated through and the vegetables are tender but not mushy.

Once the coconut milk goes in, keep the pot at a gentle simmer and stir. Boiling coconut milk hard makes it curdle and leaves an oily, grainy gravy.

Classic Toppings and Sides

• Sambal tumis: a spoon of sweet, spicy sambal on top. Our batch sambal method keeps well for festive season.
• Serunding: spiced shredded beef or chicken floss.
• Boiled eggs: halved, or braised in soy sauce.
• Kuah kacang: peanut sauce, especially with ketupat.
• Rendang: lontong with a side of rendang is a true Raya plate. Try our beef rendang at home.
• Kerupuk or emping: crackers for crunch.

Planning for Raya Morning

The day before Raya is usually busy, so spread the work out:

• Two days before: make and freeze the sambal and serunding, or buy them.
• The day before: blend and fry the spice paste, cut the vegetables and store them in the fridge, and press the rice cakes.
• Raya morning: cook the gravy in about 30 minutes, boil eggs and set out the toppings buffet style.

Lontong gravy is best fresh, as vegetables soften on standing. If you have leftovers, refrigerate quickly and reheat gently until simmering.

FAQ

What is the difference between lontong and ketupat?

Both are compressed rice cakes. Ketupat is cooked in woven palm leaf casings, while lontong is traditionally cooked in banana leaf rolls. The name lontong is also used for the full dish with vegetable gravy.

Can I make the gravy vegetarian?

Yes. Skip the dried prawns and use vegetable stock and extra tempeh and tofu for protein.

How long do rice cakes keep?

Pressed rice cakes are best within a day or two, kept covered in a cool place or the fridge. Cut only what you need.

Lontong is the taste of Raya morning for many Malaysians: warm, generous and made to share. With a little planning the day before, you can serve a big pot and still have time to enjoy the celebrations.