Compressed rice cakes served in a rich coconut-vegetable stew, the local lemak version, accompanied by prawn, egg and a side of sambal. A Ramadan and Hari Raya essential of the Geylang Serai bazaar.
Lontong is a festive Malay-Singaporean dish central to Geylang Serai's Ramadan bazaar and home Hari Raya celebrations. Compressed rice cakes (lontong or ketupat) are served in a rich coconut-vegetable stew (sayur lodeh) that locals describe as lemak, accompanied by prawn, egg and a side of sambal. The compressed rice is traditionally boiled in a woven banana-leaf or palm-leaf wrapper, which gives it a faint green aroma, and the lemak coconut stew is the Singapore-Malay signature.
Soft, compressed rice soaked in a rich, coconutty, mildly spicy vegetable stew, the prawn and egg adding protein, the sambal giving a fiery lift. Eaten together, it is creamy, comforting and the festive Malay-Singapore plate.
The rice is compressed by boiling it in a restricted wrapper (banana leaf or palm leaf), which forces the grains to compact into a dense cake that holds its shape. The sayur lodeh stew is built on a rempah fried in coconut milk, with long beans, cabbage, prawn and tofu. The compressed rice is cut into pieces and served in or beside the hot stew. The compression of the rice and the lemak coconut stew are the two defining elements.
Variations
A richer version adds more coconut milk. Some include a hard-boiled egg per portion.
On the Palate
Where Lontong Singapura sits in the Singaporean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 30 min
- 15 min
Wrap 300g rice loosely in banana leaf to form a cylinder; tie; boil in water 90 minutes until compressed and cooked; cool and slice.
Watch outWrap the rice loosely in the leaf and boil ninety minutes — the restricted wrapper forces the grains to compact into a dense cake that holds its shape when sliced; wrap it tight and it can't cook through.
- 26 min
Pound 4 shallots, 3 cloves garlic, 2cm galangal, 1 tsp turmeric and 2 dried chillies to a rempah.
- 38 min
Fry the rempah in 3 tbsp oil 5 minutes; add 400ml coconut milk, 200ml water, 200g long beans, 200g cabbage and 100g prawns; simmer 15 minutes.
Watch outFry the rempah in oil until fragrant before the coconut milk goes in — frying wakes up the spice paste; add liquid too soon and the stew tastes flat and raw.
- 410 min
Season with salt and a little sugar.
- 55 min
Place sliced lontong in bowls; ladle the hot coconut stew over.
- 64 min
Top with prawns, halved egg and sambal; serve hot.
Archive tool suggestions — not reviewed
These legacy suggestions have not been evidence-reviewed and are not presented as required tools.
