Lontong

Marvellina’s selected lontong cooks jasmine rice inside banana-leaf cylinders. She describes these Indonesian rice cakes as slightly green from contact with the leaves and as an accompaniment to several savoury dishes.

The rice is washed and drained, while the banana leaves are thawed, wiped with a damp cloth and briefly warmed over a flame to make them flexible. Each leaf rolls into a cylinder with its shiny green side facing inward.

A toothpick secures one end before the cylinder is partly filled with rice. The leaves leave space for the grains to expand during cooking, and the filled rolls go into a pot of water.

The water comes to a boil, then the rice cooks at a gentle covered simmer. Marvellina explains that the rolls can stand upright or lie down in the pot; a special mould is unnecessary for this selected method.

The cooked rolls cool before they are opened and sliced with a wet knife. As the rice firms, it becomes a cake that can accompany dishes such as satay or lontong sayur.