Lemang Daun Lerek Greenwood: a unique take on festive favourite

Lemang Daun Lerek Greenwood: a unique take on festive favourite

Lemang is a festive staple that has stood the test of time, but Lemang Daun Lerek Greenwood offers a unique twist to the traditional glutinous rice dish.


Lemang Daun Lerek staff line bamboo sticks which have been cut to the desired lengths with ‘daun lerek’ or lerek leaf. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


The lerek leaf, or also known as packing leaf, is inserted inside bamboo before it is stuffed with glutinous rice to allow for easy serving as the end of the leaf can be pulled to easily remove the lemang. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


Coconuts are an essential ingredient for lemang because it requires natural santan (coconut milk) and not artificial versions. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


Lemang Daun Lerek Greenwood workers wash the glutinous rice before mixing it with santan. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


Squeezing out the santan is made quick and easy with the use of machines. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


The process of filling in the lemang bamboo with glutinous rice that has been soaked in santan before it is taken to the cooking station. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


Lemang daun lerek takes a shorter time to cook compared to the typical banana leaf lemang. The cooking process takes about two hours. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


Lemang Daun Lerek Greenwood is cooked on an open fire with consistent supervision so that it is not overdone. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


Lemang Daun Lerek Greenwood is famous in the Klang Valley for its uniqueness of using the lerek leaf instead of the typical banana leaf to line the lemang bamboo, making it easier to slide out without breaking the bamboo shell. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


Apart from lemang daun lerek, the stall also sells ‘rendang daging pucuk ubi’ or beef rendang with tapioca leaves to pair with their special delicacy. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


During Aidilfitri season, Lemang Daun Lerek Greenwood will churn out about 300 to 400 sticks of lemang daily. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023


Customers visit the Lemang Daun Lerek Greenwood stall in Gombak as Aidilfitri draws closer. – AZIM RAHMAN/The Vibes pic, April 17, 2023

KUALA LUMPUR – Lemang is a festive staple that has stood the test of time, maintained its taste and charm, and continues to attract scores of customers – particularly ahead of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.

But Lemang Daun Lerek Greenwood offers a unique twist to the traditional glutinous rice dish.

Established close to three decades ago by a husband-and-wife pair and located along the busy Jalan Batu Caves in Gombak, this version of lemang, as its name suggests, uses lerek leaves to line the inside of hollowed bamboo tubes where a mixture of rice, santan and several other ingredients are poured in before being cooked over an open fire.

Lerek leaves, also known as packing leaves (phrynium pubinerve), are used to pack or wrap food in many parts of Asia.

The inner leaf lining makes it easier for customers to remove the lemang from the bamboo shell – one only needs to pull the delicacy out through the leaf’s petiole at the top end of the bamboo.

This is unlike conventional lemang, which requires customers to break the bamboo pole in order to remove the glutinous rice.

The Vibes photographer AZIM RAHMAN was on the ground to capture the tedious, hours-long process to make lemang daun lerek.

BY Azim Rahman

source – The Vibes

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