Vegan Lontong Sayur Lodeh
Lontong Sayur Lodeh is a beloved classic Indonesian dish: soft compressed rice cakes served in a rich, creamy coconut milk broth loaded with tender vegetables, tempeh, and tofu, infused with warm aromatic spices. This 100% vegan version keeps the authentic savoury, slightly sweet, and gently spicy flavour — using no meat, shrimp paste, dairy, or eggs — perfect for a hearty, comforting meal any time of day.
Shared by novi
Time
50 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
medium
🛒 Ingredients
- #Main Ingredients
- 300g lontong (compressed rice cakes), cut into chunks
- 150g firm tempeh, cubed
- 150g firm tofu, cubed
- 100g young jackfruit, chopped small (optional)
- 50g long beans, cut into 3 cm lengths
- 50g chayote or potato, cubed
- 50g carrot, cubed
- 400ml thick coconut milk
- 300ml water
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- #Spice Paste
- 8 shallots
- 5 garlic cloves
- 3 candlenuts, roasted
- 2 cm fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp turmeric powder)
- 2 cm ginger
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp white peppercorns
- 3–5 red chillies (adjust for heat preference)
- #Aromatics & Seasoning
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 kaffir lime leaves, veins removed
- 2 cm galangal, bruised
- 1 tbsp grated palm sugar
- Salt to taste
- ½ tsp mushroom stock powder (optional)
- Fresh spring onions and coriander for garnish
👩🍳 Instructions
- 1
Sauté the paste: Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Fry the spice paste together with lemongrass, bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal until fragrant and the oil separates.
- 2
Cook vegetables: Add carrot, chayote, and jackfruit; stir well. Pour in the water and simmer until vegetables are half‑tender.
- 3
Add coconut milk: Pour in the thick coconut milk, stirring gently and constantly so it does not split. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat.
- 4
Add remaining ingredients: Add tempeh, tofu, and long beans. Stir in palm sugar, salt, and mushroom powder. Simmer for 8–10 minutes more until everything is cooked through and flavours blend well.
- 5
Adjust taste: Taste and balance salt, sugar, or spice as you like. Turn off the heat.
- 6
Serve: Arrange the lontong in bowls, ladle the hot vegetable stew generously over the top. Garnish with fresh spring onions and coriander. Serve warm.