KETUPAT
Ketupat or packed rice is a type of dumpling from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philiphines (where it is known by the name puso in Cebuano, Bugnoy in Hiligaynon, patupat in kapampangan, or ta'mu in Tausug), and Singapore.It is made from rice that has been wrapped in a woven palm leaf pouch and boiled. As the rice cooks, the grains expand to fill the pouch and the rice becomes compressed. This method of cooking gives the ketupat its characteristic form and texture of a rice dumpling. Ketupat is usually eaten with rendang or served as an accompaniment to satay or gado-gado.Ketupat is also traditionally served by Malays at open houses on festive occasions such as Eid Mubarak (Hari Raya Aidilfitri). During Eid Mubarak in Indonesia, ketupat is often served with opor ayam (chicken in coconut milk), accompanied with spicy soy powder. Among the Moro groups of the Philippines, ketupat is served with an array of dishes including tiyulah itum, rendang, kurma and satay. It is served during special occasions such as Eid Mubarak, Eid Adha and weddings. Among Christian Philipinos, puso, as ketupat is locally known,is also traditionally used as a pabuon or a mobile meal, traditionally brought by workers as a type of packed lunch, served with any selection of stews. Puso is also widely eaten in the side streets of Cebu with pork barbecue, chicken skewers, and other grilled selections.
VARIETIES OF KETUPAT
There are many varieties of ketupat, with two of the more common ones being ketupat nasi and ketupat nasi,ketupat pulut is made from white rice and is wrapped in a square shape with coconut palm leaves while ketupat pulut is made from glutinous rice is usually wrapped in a triangular shape using the leaves of the fan palm (Licuala).Ketupat pulut is also called "ketupat daun palas" in Malaysia.
Local stories passed down through the generations have attributed the creation of this style of rice preparation to the seafarers' need to keep cooked rice from spoiling during long sea voyages. The coco leaves used in wrapping the rice are always shaped into a triangular form and stored hanging in bunches in the open air. The shape of the package facilitates moisture to drip away from the cooked rice while the coco leaves allow the rice to be aerated and at the same time prevent flies and insects from touching it.
LONTONG
Lontong is an Asian dish made of compressed rice that is then cut into small cakes.
Popular in Indonesia and Malaysia the dish is usually served cold or at room temperature with sauce-based dishes such as Gado-gado and salads, although it can be eaten as an accompaniment to other dishes such as satay and curries. It is also used in Soto as an alternative to vermicelli noodles.
Lontong is traditionally made by boiling the rice until it is partially cooked and packing it tightly into a rolled-up banana leaf. The leaf is secured and cooked in boiling water for about 90 minutes. Once the compacted rice has cooled, it can be cut up into bite-sized pieces.
Alternative ways of cooking lontong include placing uncooked rice into a muslin bag then letting the water seep in and cause the rice to form a solid mass
LEMANG
Lemang is a traditional Malay food made of glutinous rice and coconut milk and cooked in a hollowed bamboo stick lined with banana leaves in order to prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo.The cooking method using bamboo container is popular in iban Dayak tribe of Borneo. Usually prepared for celebrations such as the Iban harvest festival of Hari gawai, lemang is usually eaten with meat dishes such as chicken curry In fact, the cooking process used in making lemang, also known as "pansoh/pansuh", is adapted by Dayak communities for a wide variety of meats.
Lemang is popular in Malaysia, minangkabau people and iban communities of borneo, Manado usually prepared by using the tapai method. Lemang can now be found throughout Indonesia due to the spread of Minangkabau people throughout the country.
Lemang is ubiquitous amongst Malay communities and commonly eaten to mark the end of daily fasting during the annual Muslim Malaysian holidays of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Hari Raya Haji. The aboriginal communities of West Malaysia (orang asli) also practice cooking rice in bamboo.
