An Indonesian snack consists of steamed glutinous coconut rice filled with spiced shredded chicken, wrapped in banana leaves.
This is known as “Lemper Ayam” perfect as a starter, snack or addition to your other dishes for dinner or buffet. This is a very different, complex, but fun way to prepare this dish. Tasty and effective to serve your family and friends. You shouldn’t be disappointed.
INGREDIENTS:
Coconut Rice:
4 cups Glutinous sticky rice (preferred or alternatively 300 gr. short grained rice – like paella rice)
250 ml. Coconut milk
1/2 teasp. salt
Spiced Shredded Chicken: Or follow recipe – please click here ….
2 – 3 Chicken breast (for poaching)
1.5 Tblsp. Vegetable cooking oil
50 g. Shallot onions (finely chopped)
4 Candlenuts / or 2 Tblsp. cashew nuts
1 Teasp. Coriander powder
1 – 2 garlic cloves (depends on your tolerance, minced) or 1 teasp. powdered
1 Teasp. Cumin powder
1 Teasp. tamarind paste
2 Tblsp. Sugar
2 Kaffir lime leaves
2 Bay leaves
100 ml. Coconut milk
2 – 3 Tblsp. Water
Wrap & Steam Heat:
4 – 6 Banana leaves (buy frozen from Chinese Supermarket)
Several toothpicks – to hold banana wrapping while steaming
Unlike My Dessert “Mango Sticky Rice” recipe at link here: HERE – the recipe changes for the rice preparation as follows. Ensure you rinse your glutinous or short grained rice thoroughly in water – at least 5 or 6 times to get rid of the starch before cooking it.
Soak the rice in cold water for 2 -3 hours or longer to get rid of more of the starch.
Boil your rice for 15 – 20 minutes while you prepare your rice steamer – with 1/3rd level of boiling water in the bottom level for the steam to float up to your drained off al-dente boiled rice, placed in the 2nd level with lid on. Like the example below. If you don’t have a steamer – no worries. You can place a sieve /colander over a deep pan of boiling water with a lid over the rice to steam effectively.
Let it steam gently for about 15 – 20 minutes. When still firm to the touch – leave aside to cool.
In the meantime, put your coconut milk, sugar & salt into a sauce pan.
Gently heat the mixture, while stirring very often until all the sugar has dissolved and brought to the boil. Let it boil for a few minutes then take off the heat.
Put your warm steamed rice into a bowl – preferably not a plastic one. Then gently add the coconut mixture, a large spoonful at a time, and stir into the rice. Make sure you don’t make the rice soggy – just enough so you can see a good mix to ensure the rice is sticky and firm enough. Leave aside in fridge to cool.
Place your chicken breast in a deep pan of water. Boil for around 10 – 15 minutes, then leave to simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Drain chicken over a bowl, to keep the liquid – leave both aside to cool.
When chicken slightly cooled, start by shredding the meat with a knife & fork – then leave aside until later.
Add your chopped shallots. chopped garlic, cloves, candlenuts (nuts of choice), coriander & cumin to grinder and grind into a rough paste.
Heat your deep pan / wok with drizzle of vegetable oil. Add chopped onions and sauté for a minute or 2.
Add the grinded paste to the pan with optional chilli and fry for a minute or 2.
Mix well and then add your spices – the cumin, coriander, tumeric, sambal oelek, brown sugar and sweet soya sauce (kecap manis).
Mix well and simmer until sauce gets a bit sticky.
Add your kaffir lime leaves, lemon stalks, bay leaves, coconut milk, tamarind and knotted banana leaves. Boil for around 10 minutes until the mix starts to reduce in liquid.
Add your shredded chicken, chicken stock, pinch of salt and mix over a low heat until the meat absorbs the mix.
Discard all of the leaves and stalks until you are left with a nice, slightly moist chicken meat mix.
Ideal as a tasty side dish for buffets, Barbeques, sandwich fillings or even a main dish if you amplify the sauce – ensure it remains a dry mixture. Leave aside to cool.
Once the rice and shredded chicken has cooled – take out the coconut rice out of fridge to combine them as a roll.
On a sheet of kitchen foil, spoon your rice into a rectangular cm. thick layer, of approx. 20 cm wide x 12 cm height. Spoon a thin layer of the shredded chicken mix on top – leaving the edges of coconut rice free of chicken mix.
Starting at one end of the foil, start to gently roll your rice / chicken layer tightly from left to right.
Ensure the roll is complete, so both ends of the rice edges meet. Twist each end of foil tightly to resemble a christmas cracker. Place your rolls in the fridge for 30 minutes or longer in the fridge to firm up.
When you are ready to cook, take your foil wrapped rice / shredded chicken out of the fridge. unwrap and discard the foil.
Place your rice roll on a banana leaf, to prepare for another roll to cook.
Start to roll your Rice / Shredded chicken roll top right corner of banana leaf down until completely wrapped in the banana leaf, but leave a little of the leaf exposed to complete the whole wrap.
Fold each end of the banana roll inwards, until it resembles an envelope.
Once each end has been folded inwards, complete the roll to resemble a sausage shape.
Pin couple of cocktail sticks into your roll to ensure completely sealed, then place in a steamer – hot water at bottom level and your rolls for steaming in the top level. If you don’t have a steamer – no worries. You can place a sieve /colander over a deep pan of boiling water with a lid over the rice to steam effectively like the example when you cooked the coconut rice above.
Steam for about 10- 15 minutes.
When you finished steaming your rolls, unwrap the rice / shredded chicken from the banana leaf so your product should resemble the image below.
Cut your rolls into thick slices. Plate a couple or 3 slices on a banana leaf and serve with sweet chilli sauce and sweet soy sauce (kecap manis). I hope you will enjoy …..
CONTACT FORM: Please leave a comment …..
We would love to hear from you and appreciate if you will “Share” your comments with us. This will help us make a compilation of your experience of “Linda’s Kitchen”.
Your email address will not be published. Please fill in the form below with a brief description of your experience so we can contact you for more details. Thank you ……