Lemper Ayam – Steamed Glutinous Rice with Spiced Chicken Floss

Lemper ayam is one of the many Indonesian traditional snacks, and I happen to love them to death.  Lemper is steamed glutinous rice filled with spiced chicken floss (or other spiced meat floss, but chicken seems to be most popular), then shaped into an oblong, and wrapped in banana leaves. What I am showing in this recipe is still the same old traditional recipe, but I skip the banana leaves wrapping part because it is such a big pain. Basically, the faster I get to eat, the happier I am. :D  So, how do I shape those lemper, you ask? Well, I use a square baking pan, take half of the steamed glutinous rice, press, add the chicken floss, press, then another half of the rice, and press. Flip the entire thing into a cutting board, and then cut into individual portions. A pretty neat trick for someone lazy (and super impatient) like me. ♥

Lemper Ayam – Steamed Glutinous Rice with Spiced Chicken Floss

Lemper Ayam – Steamed Glutinous Rice with Spiced Chicken Floss

Author: Daily Cooking Quest

Prep time:  1 hour

Cook time:  1 hour

Total time:  2 hours

Serves: 8

 

Ingredients

Glutinous rice

• 300 gram white glutinous rice (Indonesian: beras ketan putih), soak for 2 to 3 hours
• 200 ml coconut milk (Indonesian: santan)
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (Indonesian: daun jeruk)
• 4 bay leaves (Indonesian: daun salam)
• 2 pandan leaves (Indonesian: daun pandan), knotted
• ½ teaspoon salt

Spiced chicken floss

• 250 gram boneless skinless chicken breast (Indonesian: daging dada ayam)
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 4 shallots (Indonesian: bawang merah)
• 3 cloves garlic (Indonsian: bawang putih)
• 3 candlenuts (Indonesian: kemiri)
• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds (Indonesian: biji ketumbar)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (Indonesian: biji jinten)
• 2 kaffir lime leaves (Indonesian: daun jeruk)
• 2 bay leaves (Indonesian: daun salam)
• 1 teaspoon tamarind + 3 tablespoon water, seeds and pulp removed
• 100 ml coconut milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2½ tablespoon sugar

Instructions

Glutinous rice

1. Prepare a steamer. Place rice in a steamed proof bowl and steam for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, pandan leaves, and salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the steamed glutinous rice into the pot and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
3. Remove the rice and return into the steaming bowl. Steam for another 30 minutes until the rice is fully cooked. Stir and discard all the leaves. Keep warm.

Spiced chicken floss

1. Boil the chicken breast until cooked. Drain, tear into really small pieces like how chicken floss should be, and set aside.
2. Grind shallots, garlic, candlenuts, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds into a fine paste.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan and sauté the spice paste until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
4. Add kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, tamarind liquid, and coconut milk and bring to a boil.
5. Add the chicken into the pan, season with salt and sugar. Stir and cook until all the liquid is fully absorbed by the chicken. The chicken floss needs to be dry. Remove from heat, discard the leaves, and set aside.

Assemble the lemper

1. Oil a square baking pan (mine is an 8 inch x 8 inch x 2 inch) so the lemper can be easily removed.
2. Take half of the glutinous rice, spread evenly and press. Add all the chicken floss, spread evenly, and press again. Take another half of the rice, spread evenly, and press again.
3. Cover the baking pan with a cutting board (this should be bigger than the pan), flip, and use an oiled knife to cut into individual portions. If you are using the same size of pan as mine, this should work out into 16 pieces. Serve immediately.

Author: Anita