Lontong Sayur

Ingredients

• 300 g jasmine rice
• 750 ml water, for the rice
• 8 shallots
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 candlenuts
• 3 cm fresh turmeric
• 4 dried red chillies
• 1 tbsp dried shrimp
• 1 tsp shrimp paste (terasi)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 3 cm galangal
• 3 salam leaves
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 400 g chayote (labu siam)
• 200 g young green jackfruit, drained
• 700 ml thin coconut milk
• 200 ml thick coconut cream
• 1 tsp palm sugar
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 3 tbsp crisp fried shallots
• 60 g prawn crackers
• 4 tbsp sambal, to serve

Before you cook

• Rinse the rice until the water runs clear and drain it.
• Line a small loaf tin with cling film, leaving a generous overhang on all sides.
• Soak the dried chillies in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain them.
• Peel the shallots, garlic and turmeric.
• Bruise the lemongrass stalks and slice the galangal into coins.
• Peel the chayote, halve it, cut out the soft core and slice the flesh into matchsticks.
• Cut the young jackfruit into bite-sized wedges.

Steps

1. Put the rinsed rice and the water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat.
2. Lower the heat and simmer the rice uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the grains are very soft and claggy.
3. Mash the hot rice against the side of the pan a few times so it turns sticky and holds together.
4. Pack the rice firmly into the lined loaf tin, pressing down hard with the back of a wet spoon to drive out air pockets.
5. Fold the cling film over the top, weigh it down with a can and leave it to cool and set for 30 minutes.
6. Blend the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, turmeric, soaked chillies, dried shrimp, shrimp paste and coriander into a smooth paste with a splash of water.
7. Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the paste for 6 to 8 minutes, until it darkens and the oil separates at the edges.
8. Add the bruised lemongrass, galangal coins, salam leaves and kaffir lime leaves and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
9. Tip in the chayote matchsticks and jackfruit wedges and turn them through the paste.
10. Pour in the thin coconut milk, add the palm sugar and salt, and bring it to a gentle simmer.
11. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chayote is tender and the broth has thickened slightly.
12. Stir in the coconut cream and let it barely bubble for 5 minutes without boiling hard, so it does not split.
13. Lower the eggs into a small pan of boiling water and cook them for 9 minutes, then cool them under cold water and peel them.
14. Turn the set rice out of the tin and cut it into 2 cm cubes.
15. Divide the rice cubes between four bowls and ladle the hot coconut vegetables over them.
16. Halve the eggs and set two halves on each bowl, then finish with fried shallots, prawn crackers and a spoonful of sambal.