How To Make Lemang

Glutinous rice cooked in bamboo - traditional Malay food.
Although lemang is available all year round, it is nonetheless anexceptionally special dish during Hari Raya open house. Although thepreparation seems simple enough, cooking lemang requires an open areawith plenty of ventilation - which is why most people just prefer to buylemang rather than attempt to cook it themselves.Just two days or so before the end of Ramadhan (the fasting month),vendors can be seen cooking and selling lemang by the roadsides.Lemang is usually 'bought by the bamboo' and should be left unopeneduntil it is ready to serve.Ingredients 1 Kg. uncooked glutinous rice / 2 old coconuts / Add salt to taste / Youngbanana leaves / Bamboo trunks approx 3ft in length / Remove grit fromthe hollow coreMethod 1. Wash and soak glutinous rice in water for six hours, then strain in colander and leave to dry. 2. Extract 8 cups of coconut milk from the 2 coconuts. Add salt to taste.3. Line the inside of the bamboo with clean banana leaves. 4. Fill the hollow of the bamboo with glutinous rice. 5. Add coconut milk. Use the 'finger test' method to determine the right proportion of rice and milk - dip your finger into the mixture until the tip touches the top layer of the rice. The distance from fingertip to the milk must be at least 1½ finger joints. 6. Place the bamboo trunks over an open fire, turning the bamboo every few minutes to ensure that the rice is evenly cooked and not burnt.Another way of cooking lemang is by immersing the bamboo trunks in a vat of boiling water. When prepared this way, the lemang is very tender and lacks the hard crust and aroma of a fire-cooked lemang. You may thenserve it with beef rending, serunding (beef floss) or thick curries.