Lontong Balap
Lontong
Lontong Balap
The recipe
Lontong Balap is the signature dish of Surabaya — a combination of compressed rice cake (lontong), bean sprouts, fried tofu, *tauco* (fermented soybean paste) sauce, and a clear, savory broth. The name *balap* means 'racing' — referring to the bean sprouts being cooked and served fast. The dish is the everyday breakfast of East Java, sold at *kios* across Surabaya. The defining feature: the *tauco* sauce is unique to this dish, made from fermented yellow soybeans, spices, and a small amount of coconut sugar, giving it a complex, salty, slightly sweet, almost miso-like depth.
Ingredients
Method
💡 Tips from the kitchen
- ·Tauco is essential. Find it at an Asian market — it's a fermented yellow soybean paste. Do NOT substitute with soy sauce or miso.
- ·The sauce is salty by itself — don't over-salt the broth.
- ·Eat immediately. The bean sprouts lose their crunch fast.
The story
Did you know?
🇮🇩 Indonesia has 17,000+ islands — only 6,000 are inhabited.
Cook it yourself
Lontong Balap is one of Indonesia's heritage dishes. Want to try the recipe at home?
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