Khairul Aming, a popular Malaysian online chef, found himself in hot water recently when he shared a video on how to make 'lontong'.
Ini namanya nasi impit with kuah lodeh. Jangan guna nama lontong kalau lontongnya pun takde. Tradisi orang dahulu haruslah dihormati. https://t.co/2aIZajxE75
— Khairul Anwar (@vamos32) April 12, 2023
The dish, however, received backlash most particularly from one individual who accused him of misusing the name of the dish and disrespecting ancient traditions.
For those who are unfamiliar, lontong is a traditional Malay dish made of rice cakes cooked in coconut milk, and it has a significant cultural and historical significance in Malay culture.
Saya masa umur 23 baru tahu lontong is sejenis nasi not the kuah but dont blame la kalau org tersilap sbb mmg big majority kita panggil this dish basically lontong with or without the nasi lontong
— syazain (@sy_z99) April 12, 2023
yg saya tahu dish tu yg nama dia lontong. sebab bila orang jual bende ni kat mana-mana, they all panggil lontong. so bila Khairul cakap lontong dgn kuah lodeh, it's like he was saying nasi impit dgn kuah lodeh dgn kuah lodeh
— Oxfomosa (@Oxfomosa) April 12, 2023
I think different states pakai different nama n buat ikut masing2. Tak perlu kut nk sensitive sangat. Raikan perbezaan. Sesame sendiri x perlu smpai cmni. Kate satu malaysia. Tak bermkna org lain guna nasi impit auto x hormat tradisi. Tradisi berbeza. Mungkin awk yg ptut hormat
— Nani YGA & ExYGA stanz (@naniVIPbj) April 13, 2023
However, many netizens have come to the chef's defence, arguing that different people grew up with different versions of the dish.
i org joho pun dr kecik mmg panggil kuah lodeh + nasi impit sbg lontong. kalau nak educate people boleh guna ayat lain,cth"Utk makluman korang, ini namanya nasi impit dgn kuah lodeh. Lontong tu bla bla bla (explain). Jom kekalkan tradisi org dulu²"see the hate in this tweet?
— ᵇᵃʲᵘ ᵏᵘʳᵘᵍ ʳᵃʸᵃ ᵇᵃʷᵃʰ ᴿᴹ¹ (@gojesgallery) April 13, 2023
Additionally, some people suggested that the individual should advise Khairul Aming in a nice yet respectful manner instead of being overly critical, as his mistake was not significant.
Sooo, what version of lontong are you familiar with? And does it come with nasi impit?