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Lupis
Sticky rice with coconut sugar
Lupis: Javanese sticky rice triangles with grated coconut and palm sugar syrup
At morning markets across Central and East Java, vendors unwrap banana-leaf triangles of chewy sticky rice, roll them in fresh grated coconut and drench them in dark palm sugar syrup, all served on a square of leaf. Lupis is breakfast and snack at once, eaten with sweet tea. The common mistake is packing the leaves too full: the rice swells as it cooks, so fill each cone only two-thirds, or the parcels split and turn watery. Chef's tip: steam the grated coconut with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes before using it; it keeps longer and the salt sharpens the caramel taste of the syrup.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the lupis
- 10 ½ oz glutinous ricesoaked for 2 hours
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 banana leaves25 cm squares, wiped and softened over a flame
- 2.5 litres waterfor boiling
For the coconut
- 4 oz freshly grated coconutor frozen, thawed
- 1 pinch salt
For the syrup
- 5 ½ oz dark palm sugar (gula jawa)chopped
- ½ cup water
- 1 pandan leafknotted
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 10 ½ oz glutinous rice and toss with ½ tsp salt.
Step 2: Roll each piece of 6 banana leaves into a cone, fill two-thirds with rice, fold the top over into a triangle and tie or pin with a cocktail stick.
Step 3: Bring 2.5 litres water to the boil in a large pan, add the parcels so they are fully covered and simmer over a low heat for 75–90 minutes, topping up with boiling water, until the rice is completely soft and translucent when you open one.
90 minStep 4: Meanwhile mix 4 oz freshly grated coconut with 1 pinch salt and steam for 5 minutes. Leave to cool.
5 minStep 5: Simmer 5 ½ oz dark palm sugar (gula jawa), ½ cup water and 1 pandan leaf over a low heat for 8–10 minutes until it coats a spoon like thin honey. Strain.
10 minStep 6: Let the parcels cool for 10 minutes, unwrap, slice each lupis in half, roll in the coconut and pour over the warm syrup.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lupis take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 90 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 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 dark palm sugar (gula jawa)?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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