Lemper

Lemper is an Indonesian savoury snack made of glutinous rice filled with seasoned shredded chicken, fish or abon (meat floss). The specific lemper filled with seasoned shredded chicken is called lemper ayam (lit: chicken lemper). The meat filling is rolled inside the rice, in a fashion similar to an egg roll; this is in turn rolled and wrapped inside a banana leaf, oil paper, plastic sheet or tinfoil to make a packet ready for serving. If banana leaf is not available, corn husk can be used too.Lemper are most often seen as snacks, but may sometimes be served as appetizers as well. Lemper usually took elongated shape, similar to lontong.

Ingredients and cooking method

The glutinous rice is soaked and cooked with coconut milk and salt. The filling is made of shredded chicken breast, chicken stock, garlic, candle nut, ground coriander, cumin, brown sugar, vegetable oil, minced shallot, coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, salt and pepper. Other than chicken, shredded fish or abon (beef meat floss) might be used too as filling. When the cooked glutinous rice is already cooled down and cool enough to handle, put the chicken filling on glutinous rice, rolled on banana leaf, wrapped and secured with biting or lidi semat, a small wooden "needle" made of coconut leaf mid rib or bamboo. Then these elongated banana leaf packages are being steamed or grilled on fire, prior of consumption. This was meant to release the distinct pleasant aroma of burned banana leaf.