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Awan bangwi
Awan bangwi: Tripuri sticky rice with cashews and raisins, steamed in leaf cones
Awan bangwi belongs to the Kokborok-speaking communities of Tripura, who make it for weddings, Garia Puja and New Year gatherings. Soaked sticky rice is mixed with ginger, cashews, raisins and a little ghee, folded into cones of leaf and steamed until glossy and chewy. The mistake to avoid is packing the cones too tightly: the rice swells and the leaves split. Banana leaf or turmeric leaf replaces the local leaf well. Chef's tip: soak the rice overnight; under-soaked grains stay chalky however long you steam them.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the bangwi
- 10 ½ oz sticky (glutinous) ricesoaked overnight and drained
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp gingerfinely grated
- 1 ⅜ oz cashewshalved
- 1 oz raisins
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 banana leavescut into 25 cm squares, softened over a flame
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Method
0/4 doneStep 2: Roll each 4 banana leaves square into a cone, fill two-thirds full with rice, fold the top over loosely and tie with string or a strip of leaf.
15 minStep 3: Steam over boiling water, covered, until a grain from the centre is translucent and chewy all the way through. Top up the water as needed.
45 minStep 4: Rest 5 minutes before unwrapping. Serve warm.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does awan bangwi take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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