Bruneian glutinous-rice parcels — glutinous rice soaked, mixed with coconut milk, wrapped tightly in nyirik (or banana) leaves, and steamed into firm, fragrant, sliceable logs eaten with rendang or curry.
Kelupis is a glutinous-rice cake of Brunei and Borneo, steamed in nyirik or palm leaves until fragrant and firm. A staple of festivals and Hari Raya, it is eaten with curries, sambal or simply on its own.
Unwrap a kelupis and the leaf has scented the firm, glossy glutinous rice with a grassy aroma; slice it and it holds in neat rounds. Bite: the rice is sticky-chewy and faintly sweet-salty from coconut milk, fragrant from the nyirik leaf, mild on its own. Eaten dipped in rich rendang gravy or curry, it is the festive carbohydrate of a Bruneian celebration.
Soaking and steaming the glutinous rice in coconut milk gives a firm, sticky, sliceable cake; wrapping tightly in leaf compresses it so it holds its shape and absorbs the leaf's aroma. The mild rice is a foil for the rich curries and rendang it's served with.
Variations
Wrapped in banana leaf. With a pandan note. Larger or smaller. With a salted-egg or serunding filling. Served at Hari Raya. With a sweet coconut dip.
On the Palate
Where Kelupis sits in the Bruneian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
8 steps · 40 min active + 50 min waiting
- 110 min
Soak 400 g glutinous rice for 2 hours; drain.
- 23 min
Mix the rice with 200 ml coconut milk and 1 tsp salt.
- 38 min
Soften nyirik or banana leaves over a flame until pliable.
Watch outWarm the leaves over the flame just until they turn glossy and bend without cracking — a stiff leaf splits when you roll it.
- 410 min
Spoon rice onto each leaf and roll into a tight cylinder, folding the ends.
Watch outRoll each parcel really tight and firm — a loose one lets the rice swell apart and won't slice into a clean sticky log.
- 55 min
Tie the parcels with strips of leaf or string.
- 646 min
Steam the parcels 45 min until the rice is cooked and firm.
Watch outSteam until the grains are fully translucent and the cake feels firm when you press the parcel — chalky centres mean more time.
- 76 min
Cool slightly so they set and slice cleanly.
- 82 min
Unwrap and serve with rendang, curry, or serunding.
