Pulut panggang is cooked glutinous rice with coconut milk wrapped in fresh banana leaves. It has yellow grated coconut stir-fried with dried shrimp, dried chillies, onion, turmeric powder, salt and sugar as a filling.

Glutinous rice containing serunding kelapa or cooked grated coconut wrapped with banana leaves grilled over embers or a pan with a slow heat. This way of cooking makes this dish to be called roasted glutinous rice with the brand name Pulut Panggang.

This pulut panggang is categorized as a traditional Malay kuih to be enjoyed during breakfast or served for afternoon tea. This glutinous rice-based kuih is popular as it is not sweet. Due to the glutinous rice as the main ingredient, one feels full after eating it.  

Preparation method

Pulut panggang goes through several separate cooking preparation processes before being wrapped in banana leaves.

Prepare the banana leaves by washing and warming them over slow heat to facilitate the process of wrapping glutinous rice.

Making serunding

Serunding is the filling for pulut panggang made from grated coconut. 

Saute the ingredients for serunding such as blended shallots, garlic, dried chillies, dried shrimp, turmeric powder, salt and sugar until well cooked. Add the grated coconut and cook until well combined.

Serunding needs to taste sweet and spicy so that the taste is balanced with the glutinous rice that covers the serunding. After the serunding cooked, set aside.

Cook glutinous rice

Cooked glutinous rice with concentrated coconut milk. Put salt in the glutinous rice and stir so that it tastes salty evenly. Place over medium heat until well cooked. Cool the glutinous rice before wrapping it in banana leaves.

How to prepare pulut panggang

Place a tablespoon of cooked glutinous rice on a piece of banana leaf. Press the glutinous rice until flat.

Add the serunding in the middle of the glutinous rice. Roll the leaf neatly, and tighten at the end of the leaf with the bamboo toothpick. Cut off excess leaves and grill until crispy. Pulut panggang is ready to eat.

Taste

The spicy taste of Pulut Panggang comes from serunding and gives a sweet and hot delicious taste with glutinous rice wrapping it. The sweet and spicy taste of serunding is balanced with the taste of glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk that adds flavour to pulut panggang. This kuih gives off an appetizing aroma while being grilled.

Appearance

The grill glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves in cylindrical shape between 12 to 15 centimeters long. At the end of the banana leaf is attached a skewer for finishing when grilling over embers or a hot pan.

Rub the wrapping banana leaves with cooking oil so that they do not stick to the pan. Grill the pulut panggang over embers for 10 minutes until the crispy banana leaves show a burnt effect.

Pulut panggang when served is still wrapped in banana leaves on a plate. Banana leaves need to be opened to enjoy the roasted glutinous rice. When opened the yellow serunding in the middle can be seen surrounded by white glutinous rice.

Conclusion

Pulut panggang is a popular Malay kuih recipe to be served for breakfast or suitable for an afternoon tea. It is one of the traditional Malay kuih and can be found at stalls that sell other Malay kuih.

This kuih has three layers of banana wrap, glutinous rice and serunding that grill over embers.

In the old times pulut panggang was placed on embers but in modern life, it could be placed on a hot pan over medium heat.