Ketupat is a compressed rice dish commonly found in Southeast Asia, served with peanut gravy and beef rendang. It is cooked in coconut leaf pouches and served during festivals and weddings.
Ketupat is a form of cooked rice commonly found in various parts of Southeast Asia, including the countries of Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Singapore. The rice is compressed during cooking, which gives it a similar flavor profile to rice dumplings. This compression results from cooking inside a bag, and the rice absorbs water and expands as it cooks, causing compression.
As a complete dish, ketupat is served alongside a peanut-based gravy called kuah kacang, which translates to nut gravy and beef rendang. Cucumber slices are also commonly served as a side dish. Alternatively, it can be served with satay sauce, peanut sauce or sliced and served in a sweet coconut curry.
Ketupat is cooked in a casing or pouch, made from coconut leaves. The coconut leaves are cross-woven to form a pouch, which is then filled with rice before cooking. Often people buy ready-made envelopes, rather than weaving them.
When preparing the dish, the pouches are usually filled slightly less than half with rice and then sealed. Sometimes, each bag is filled with a larger amount of rice, up to two-thirds full, and the result is a firmer, denser dumpling. This is just a matter of preference. The two types of rice that can be used in ketupat are responsible for two of the most common varieties found, namely ketupat nasi and ketupat pulut. The former is made with white rice and the latter with glutinous rice.
The sealed bags of rice are placed in a large pot of water and boiled for several hours. If the pot is not too crowded with bags and there is plenty of water, it should be boiled for about 3-4 hours. Larger batches may require a boil time of up to six hours. While boiling, it is important to maintain the water level so that all bags are completely submerged at all times. It’s also important to move the bags around regularly to make sure they all have an equal level of water absorption.
Bags of coconut leaves are usually cheap and available from a local tukang sayur, who is a man who sells vegetables from a cart. The pouches are triangular in shape, which allows for optimal drainage and drying of the ketupat after cooking is complete. After cooking, the bags are hung up to ensure adequate ventilation. This is required for conservation.
Ketupat is commonly made in large quantities and eaten during festivals and holidays such as Eid ul-Fitr, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. It is also often served at weddings. When eaten, the pouches are opened and the rice dumpling is cut into pieces and dipped in a sauce or gravy.
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