About this recipe

Lontong Sayur is a breakfast and celebration bowl of sliced compressed rice cakes under coconut vegetable gravy, usually with tofu, tempeh, egg, sambal, and fried shallots.

If you buy ready lontong, the vegetable stew comes together quickly. Homemade lontong takes longer but is worth it for gatherings.

Serve everything warm. Cold coconut gravy dulls the comfort of the dish.

Prep & cook time

Prep20 minutes
Cook30 minutes
Total50 minutes
Servings4 servings
LevelEasy

Tools you need

Pot
Ladle
Knife
Serving bowls

Ingredients

2–3 lontong, sliced
1 chayote, cubed
100 g long beans, cut
600 ml coconut milk
Spice paste: shallots, garlic, chili, optional shrimp paste
Bay leaf and galangal
Fried tofu, tempeh, and hard-boiled eggs
Sambal and fried shallots, for topping
Salt and a pinch of sugar

Directions

Sauté the spice paste with bay leaf and galangal until fragrant.
Add chayote and long beans; pour in coconut milk. Season and simmer until tender.
Taste the gravy—it should be savory, lightly sweet, and aromatic.
Slice lontong into bowls.
Ladle over the vegetable gravy. Add tofu, tempeh, and egg.
Finish with sambal and fried shallots. Serve warm.

Kitchen tips

Keep gravy slightly loose; lontong absorbs liquid.
A side of kerupuk adds crunch.
Make the stew ahead and assemble bowls to order.
For kids, serve sambal on the side only.

Serve with

Kerupuk
Sambal
Satay
Tea

How to store

Stew keeps 2–3 days refrigerated. Store lontong separately and slice when serving.

Common mistakes

Assembling too early so lontong turns mushy.
Cold gravy on cold lontong.
Over-reducing the coconut stew into a paste.