Tuesday, November 8, 2011

How to make lemang in modern times

The last time I join the festivity of making lemang, it was when I was still just a wee lad. Not wanting to let a tradition dies, I just want to observe and participate which lead to the most important event : The eating part! When my wife said that her family is going to make some lemang at her kampung in Tapah Road, during the Eid ul-Adha, I just jumped into the opportunity to join them. 

Lemang are sticky rice which are cooked in bamboo stick and eaten with whatever you fancy but usually it is eaten with another dish called rendang, which are meat cooked with spices and coconut which are fried until it turn much like fried brown sauce. Making lemang is not rocket science but it does take considerable effort.

So, here are the steps :

The bonfire is prepared
The banana lead is made into a cylinder and inserted into the bamboo

In the meantime, the womenfolks were getting the santan prepared while cooking the rendang
Rice is inserted into the bamboo


Coconut milk a.k.a santan is inserted into the bamboo on top of the rice until it is settled


The bamboos filled with rice and santan are lined up near the fire until it simmers

Every half and hour (depending on the heat) the bamboos are turned so all sides get cooked properly 

The lemang will simmer until it is properly cooked


In order to eat it, you cut the bamboo into half from the top, cut it into small pieces and eat it with rendang
Conclusion : Nyums!!!

1 comment:

  1. This is mainly a pictorial presentation of how
    lemang is made without an attempt to show how it is really made ie the quantity amount of the various ingredients,the strength of the flame and length of time required for cooking Thank you for the photographs but I will have to look
    up somebody else's write up to learn to make lemang
    to make lemang

    ReplyDelete