You can usually smell lemang before you see it: wood smoke, toasted bamboo and coconut. Then you spot the row of green tubes leaning over a long, low fire at the side of the road, and someone turning each one by hand.
Lemang is one of the most labour-intensive everyday foods in Malaysia. It is also one of the simplest: rice, coconut milk, salt, bamboo and time. Here is why it is made the way it is, and how to eat it.
What lemang is
Lemang is glutinous rice (pulut) cooked with coconut milk and a little salt inside a hollow bamboo tube, which is roasted over an open fire.
The tube is lined with a rolled banana leaf before the rice goes in. When the lemang is done, the bamboo is split open and the rice comes out as a long, firm cylinder wrapped in its leaf, then sliced into thick rounds.
It is eaten across Malaysia and neighbouring countries, and while it is most associated with Malay festive meals, versions of rice cooked in bamboo are made by many communities in the region, including in Sabah and Sarawak.
How it is made
- The bamboo. Lengths of fresh bamboo of the right thickness are cut, with one end closed by the natural node.
- The leaf. A young banana leaf is rolled and pushed inside to line the tube. This stops the rice sticking to the bamboo and adds fragrance.
- The filling. Soaked glutinous rice goes in, then coconut milk with salt is poured over it, leaving room at the top for the rice to expand.
- The fire. The tubes are leaned at an angle against a rack beside a long fire, close enough to cook but not to burn.
- The turning. Over several hours, the cook turns each tube regularly so it cooks evenly all the way round.
That last step is the reason lemang is expensive relative to its ingredients. It is a fire that has to be watched for hours, by someone who knows how close is too close.
What a good stick looks like
When you slice into it:
- The rice should be fully cooked and soft, but firm enough to hold its shape.
- It should be moist and rich from the coconut milk, not dry or crumbly.
- There should be no hard, uncooked grains in the centre.
- The outer layer should be fragrant, with a light toasted edge from the leaf, but not burnt.
If you are buying whole sticks, a vendor will often split one to show you. Ask when the batch came off the fire; lemang is best on the day it is made.
What to eat it with
Lemang is mild on its own, which is the point. It is a base for richer things.
- Rendang. The classic pairing, especially at Hari Raya. A thick, dry beef or chicken rendang with a slice of lemang is one of the great festive combinations. Our guide to Malaysia's many rendangs explains why no two families make it the same.
- Serunding. Spiced, shredded meat floss, often beef or chicken, which gives lemang a sweet, savoury, dry contrast.
- Kuah kacang or curry, depending on the household.
- On its own, warm, as a snack.
When people eat it
Lemang is strongly associated with Hari Raya Aidilfitri, when roadside stalls multiply and families queue for sticks for the first morning of Raya. It is also made for other festive occasions and family gatherings.
Outside the festive season, you will still find it at some roadside stalls, markets and Malay restaurants, especially on weekends.
Storing and reheating
- Keep it in its leaf. The banana leaf stops it drying out.
- Eat it within a day at room temperature in Malaysian heat, or refrigerate it.
- To reheat, steam slices or warm them gently in a pan. The microwave works in a hurry but can make the rice gummy.
If you are building a festive spread, lemang sits alongside ketupat and the kuih tray; our kuih guide covers the sweet side.
FAQ
What is lemang made of?
Lemang is glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and salt inside a bamboo tube lined with banana leaf, roasted over an open fire.
Why does lemang take so long to cook?
The bamboo tubes are roasted slowly beside an open fire and turned regularly for several hours so the rice cooks evenly without burning.
What do you eat lemang with?
It is most often eaten with rendang or serunding, and sometimes with curry or kuah kacang.
How long does lemang last?
It is best eaten on the day it is made. Keep it in its banana leaf and refrigerate it if you need to keep it longer, then steam or pan-warm to reheat.
