Lemang

On the way to get a wheel chair for 90-year-old mom a day before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, we passed by a lemang stall at the roadside of a Malay village. Out of curiosity, we stopped at the lemang stall to have a look at how lemang was cooked.

Lemang is a popular traditional food that the Malay used to cook during Hari Raya Aidilftri. It is originated from the Iban of Sarawak. Lemang is cooked by filling the glutinous rice into the hollow of the bamboo stick which is lined by banana leave. The glutinous rice is added with little bit of coconut milk too.All the bamboo sticks filled with glutinous rice are then leaned towards the burning fire. While being burnt by the fire, the bamboo sticks need to be turning around frequently to ensure the glutinous rice is cooked evenly and to avoid the rice gets burnt.

When the glutinous rice is cooked, the bamboo sticks will then be cut open and the "rice stick" will then be cut into small pieces too. Lemang is usually eaten with rendang ayam--chicken cooked with spicy coconut sauce or chicken curry. And the mixture of different aroma of the coconut milk, banana leave, bamboo stick and even the smell of the smoke after being burnt has made the lemang tastes such special!