AI-generated image
Tungos
Banana leaf steamed rice
Tungos: soft rice packed into banana leaves and steamed, the Llanos side for roast meat
At fairs and family gatherings in Villavicencio and across the Meta, tungos sit in a big pile next to the slow-roasted meat: soft white rice pressed into banana-leaf parcels and steamed until it holds together in a firm, faintly smoky log. The leaf gives the rice a tea-like aroma and keeps it warm for hours, which is why they travel to river trips and roadside parrillas so well. Unwrap one and eat it with roast meat, beans, a sweet plantain or a bowl of vegetable stew; the tungo itself is vegan. Fluffy, separate grains are the wrong goal here: rice cooked dry and loose falls apart in the leaf, so cook it with extra water until soft and sticky. Frozen banana leaves are sold in Asian and Latin shops. Chef's tip: pass each leaf quickly over a gas flame or through hot water first; it turns glossy and supple and will not split as you fold.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz long-grain white ricerinsed
- 3 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 6 banana leavesabout 25 x 30 cm each, wiped clean
- 2 m kitchen string
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz long-grain white rice, 3 ½ cups water, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a pot and bring to the boil over a high heat.
Step 2: Cover, lower the heat and simmer for 18–20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed and the rice is soft and slightly sticky.
19 minStep 3: Leave the rice covered off the heat for 5 minutes, then stir with a spoon to make it a little sticky, so it clings together when pressed.
5 minStep 4: Soften 6 banana leaves by passing them over a flame or dipping in very hot water for a few seconds, until shiny and pliable.
Step 5: Spoon about 1 cup of rice onto the centre of each leaf, pack it into a log with the back of the spoon, then roll the leaf tightly around it and fold in the ends.
Step 6: Tie each parcel around the middle with 2 m kitchen string.
Step 7: Steam over boiling water, or simmer half-submerged in a covered pot, for 15 minutes, until the parcels feel firm and the leaves have darkened.
15 minStep 8: Serve warm in the leaves and unwrap at the table.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tungos take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 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 long-grain white rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani
Hyderabad's biryani grew up in the kitchens of the Nizams, and the kacchi style is its proudest form: the chicken goes into the pot raw, in a thick yogurt, mint and fried-onion marinade, and cooks only in the steam trapped under part-cooked basmati. In the old city it is wedding and Eid food, ordered in huge copper deghs, and at home it's the Sunday showpiece, served with mirchi ka salan and a cooling raita. Because the meat cooks without being stirred, small bone-in thigh and drumstick pieces work best. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge — the yogurt tenderises the chicken and the flavours go right to the bone.
Indian
Khao kluk kapiShrimp paste rice
Everything on this central Thai plate is arranged in little heaps around a mound of rice tossed with garlic and fermented shrimp paste: sticky caramelised pork (moo wan), threads of sour green mango, shallots, chillies, sliced long beans, crisp dried shrimp and ribbons of thin omelette. You mix a bit of each into every spoonful, so salty, sweet, sour and hot arrive together. It's a favourite at Bangkok's curry-and-rice shops and a clever way to use up yesterday's rice at home; lime wedges and cucumber cool it down. Chef's tip: use day-old jasmine rice straight from the fridge, because freshly cooked rice clumps and smears the shrimp paste instead of coating each grain.
Thai
Masala ugaliSpiced maize meal porridge
Ugali, East Africa's staple of maize meal cooked into a stiff porridge, given a lift with toasted cumin, butter, fresh coriander and green chilli. Stir it hard and keep it soft. Serve hot with sukumawiki or any stew.