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Lemang
Bamboo-cooked coconut sticky rice
Malay coconut sticky rice for Hari Raya, cooked in bamboo or a home oven
On the eve of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Malay villages across the peninsula fill with smoke as families cook lemang: glutinous rice and coconut milk packed into banana-leaf-lined bamboo poles and turned slowly beside an open fire for hours. The rice comes out rich, salty and faintly smoky, sliced into thick rounds and eaten with rendang or serunding on Raya morning. Few homes have bamboo and a fire pit, so this recipe gives a home oven method in a banana-leaf-lined tin, with the bamboo way described too. Chef's tip: let the cooked lemang cool before slicing, as warm rice is too soft to cut cleanly.
- Total time
- 270 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the rice
- 1 ⅛ lb glutinous ricesoaked overnight
- 2 ½ cups coconut milk
- 2 tsp salt
To line
- 4 banana leavessoftened over a flame
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Drain the 1 ⅛ lb glutinous rice. Warm 2 ½ cups coconut milk with 2 tsp salt until it dissolves; don't boil.
10 minStep 2: Line a 900 g loaf tin with 4 banana leaves, letting them hang over the sides. Spread the rice in the tin and pour over the coconut milk until it sits 1 cm above the rice. Fold the leaves over and cover tightly with foil. (For bamboo: line each pole with a rolled leaf, fill two-thirds with rice, top up with coconut milk and roast upright beside embers for 4 hours, turning often.)
10 minStep 3: Stand the tin in a roasting tray of hot water and bake at 325°F for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 4: Lower to 300°F and bake for 2½ hours more, until all the milk is absorbed, the rice is dense and shiny and a grain pressed between your fingers has no hard centre. A common mistake is opening the foil early, which lets the steam out and leaves hard grains on top.
150 minStep 5: Unwrap the top and grill or blowtorch it briefly for a little smoky colour, if you like. Cool for at least 1 hour, then lift out and slice into thick pieces.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lemang take?
- About 270 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 240 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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 glutinous rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
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