Lemper Ayam (Sticky Rice Rolls with Chicken)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Steamer basket or insert with tight-fitting lid
• •Wide pan for the chicken filling
• •Tongs for softening banana leaves
• •Toothpicks or kitchen string

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the rice

   Rinse the ketan in several changes of cool water, then cover it by 5cm and soak for at least 4 hours, or overnight if the day allows. This is not fussing. Glutinous rice needs the soak so the centre cooks before the outside turns to paste; rush it and you get a hard little heart inside every grain.

2. 2

   Poach the chicken

   Put the chicken thighs in a saucepan with 250ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until the meat is opaque all through and pulls apart easily. Lift the chicken out, save 150ml of the broth, and shred the meat finely once it is cool enough to handle.

3. 3

   Cook the filling

   Heat the oil in a wide pan and cook the shallots until soft and lightly golden. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, and makrut lime leaves, and stir for one minute until the spices smell awake. Add the shredded chicken, 150ml coconut milk, 100ml saved broth, palm sugar, salt, and white pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the pan looks almost dry and a spoon leaves a clean track through the filling. Remove the lemongrass and lime leaves, then let the filling cool.

   If the filling tastes slightly too strong on its own, you've done well. Rice is a quiet companion and needs the filling to speak clearly.
4. 4

   First steam

   Drain the soaked rice well. Line a steamer basket with a banana leaf offcut or parchment and spread the rice in an even layer. Steam over lively water for 20 minutes, until the grains are swollen but still firm in the centre.

5. 5

   Season the rice

   While the rice steams, warm the 350ml coconut milk with 100ml water, the salt, pandan, daun salam, and lemongrass until just fragrant. Don't boil it hard or the coconut milk turns grainy. Tip the hot rice into a wide bowl, pour over the hot coconut milk, fold gently, cover, and rest for 10 minutes so the rice drinks it in. Return the rice to the steamer for 20 to 25 minutes, until glossy, tender, and sticky enough to clump. Remove the aromatics and keep the rice covered.

6. 6

   Prepare leaves

   Wipe both sides of the banana leaf rectangles. Pass each leaf briefly over a gas flame with tongs, or dip it in very hot water for 10 seconds, until it darkens, softens, and bends without cracking. Dry the leaves before filling. A stiff banana leaf tears exactly when your hands are full of rice, for obvious reasons.

7. 7

   Roll parcels

   Keep a small bowl of water beside you for your hands. Lay one banana leaf dull side up, with the grain running left to right. Spread about 2 heaped tablespoons of rice into a 10 by 8cm rectangle, place 1 tablespoon of chicken filling down the centre, and use the leaf to bring the rice up and around the filling. Roll into a firm cylinder about 10cm long, fold in the sides, wrap the leaf around the parcel, and secure with a toothpick or string. The leaf is wrapper, not salad.

   Rice sticks to skin but listens to wet hands. Wet fingers beat oil here, because oil keeps the leaf from gripping the parcel properly.
8. 8

   Finish and serve

   Set the parcels seam-side down in the steamer, with a little room between them. Steam for 15 minutes to warm them through and set the rice around the filling. Rest for 10 minutes before serving so the rolls hold when unwrapped. Serve warm or at room temperature with sambal oelek on the side; the first one should be eaten standing by the kitchen counter, for obvious reasons.

Chef Tips

• •Buy ketan, glutinous rice, from a toko or Asian grocer. Sushi rice will roll, but it won't give the same soft chew; glutinous here means sticky, not wheat gluten.
• •Get real banana leaves if you can, even frozen ones. Parchment will hold the shape in an emergency, but it cannot give the green scent that makes lemper smell like lemper.
• •Daun salam is not the bay leaf from hachee. If you cannot find it, leave it out; a wrong bay leaf is louder than no bay leaf.
• •The filling should be dry enough to pinch without dripping. Wet filling makes the rice split and turns a neat parcel into a small domestic argument.
• •With sambal, pour a cold pilsner or an off-dry Riesling. Sweetness and bitterness both understand chile better than a heavy red wine does.

Advance Preparation

• •The rice can soak overnight, which is the calmer way to begin.
• •The chicken filling can be cooked up to 2 days ahead, cooled, and refrigerated; bring it back to room temperature before rolling.
• •Finished lemper keep 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat by steaming for 10 minutes, or serve at room temperature for a party platter.
• •Wrapped lemper freeze well for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and steam until hot through.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)