Tahu longtong

 Tahu longtong is a dish brought to Suriname by the contracted laborers from Java Indonesia. It's simple, fresh and delicious! I'ts main components are... fried tofu and longtong. Hahaha. Bet you saw that one coming! For those of you who don't know it, longtong is sticky rice cake. Traditionally it's cooked in banana leaves, but nowadays you can buy small packages in a plastic wrapper to cook it in. For this dish the longtong is cooled and served together with fried tofu and  bean sprouts and topped with a spicy kecap sauce and fried onions. You can add some shredded chicken, fried omelet strips or or a hard boiled egg for some variety or just enjoy it as it is.

Back in the days my gran used to have major cravings for tahu longtong. She'd tell us about the time when her dad was stationed in Indonesia and how they lived when she was a little girl. She'd talk about the statuesque colonial Dutch houses and how much she loved to get tahu longtong. You could almost see the fragrant banana leave with tofu and longtong glimmer in her eyes. Ooh sweet reminiscence.
Now every time I eat tahu longtong I think of my gran and the little girl she once used to be.



Ingredients:

• longtong rice
• tofu
• vegetable oil
• bean sprouts
• parsley
• crispy fried onions
• shredded chicken (optional)
• hard boiled egg (optional)
• fried omelet strips (optional)

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
• 1 madame jeanette pepper
• squeeze of lemon/lime juice (optional)

Method:

1. Place a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Meanwhile wash the longtong rice two to three times and place in the pot of boiling water. Place a lid on top to keep the longtong submerged. Cook through in 1-2 hours. Drain and leave to cool.
   Once completely cooled, cut the longtong through the plastic wrapper in bite size cubes and set aside.
   * You could probably half the cooking time if you'd leave the longtong to soak overnight in cold water.
2. Cut up the tofu in bite size cubes and fry golden brown and crispy in the vegetable oil. Place on some paper towel to suck up any excess oil.
   * I prefer to use sunflower oil, but any vegetable oil without a strong flavor will do.
3. Wash and drain the bean sprouts. Remove any brown bits or tails and set aside.

For the sauce:

1. Press the garlic through a garlic press, cut up the madame jeanette pepper very finely and add the kecap manis, mix thoroughly. You can always add some more kecap manis or sugar if you feel it's to spicy. But it's better to add more pepper if you like it spicier than to keep adding kecap or sugar.
   If the sauce is to thick, add some water or a squeeze of lemon juice.
   * Be careful with the peppers, they are really really really strong! 
2. Place some bean sprouts, longtong and tofu on a plate. Drizzle the sauce on top and finish it of with crispy fried onions and some chopped up parsley.