Lopes Mak Cik Gah
I felt like a little girl who got a whole bunch of balloons when Makcik Gah stayed for a whole day to teach me 'warisan' dishes.
I felt like a little girl who got a whole bunch of balloons when Makcik Gah stayed for a whole day to teach me 'warisan' dishes. I really loved cooking this Lopes with her from scratch. I guarantee it tastes heaps nicer that the bought ones. Mum said, "A person of Makcik Gah's knowledge of the true traditional authentic food are rare & few. Treasure her."...and I did. I appreciated every second I spent with her & everything she shared with me. I pray for her good health & long life...~
Ingredients
- glutinous rice, washed0.5 kg
- water2 cups
- air chang/air abu...... I'm not sure why it's called air (as in water) when it actually is clups of powder)1 tsp
- banana leaves cut into 5"x10" rectangle sizes, wilted briefly over flame35 pieces
- rafia strings cut into 2'5" lengths7
- chopped palm sugar1 cup
- c coarse sugar0.5
- water2 cups
- pandan leaves, knotted2
- sago flour diluted in 1/4 water1 tsp
- grated coconut (white only)1 whole
- salt1 tsp
Instructions
- 1.
Pour the water over the glutinous rice.
- 2.
Sprinkle with air chang evenly over the rice.
- 3.
Mix it in well until the air chang dilutes.
- 4.
Put the rice aside & allow it to rest for about 1 5 minutes or until the rice bloats a little & turns slightly yellowish due to the air chang mixture.
- 5.
Pour the rice in a pot & heat it on medium fire.
- 6.
Cook & keep stirring for about 10-12 minutes until all the liquid evaporates. The rice should still have the crunch, when eaten at this stage.
- 7.
Transfer it in a bowl.
- 8.
Roll the banana leaf into a cone, shiny side out .
- 9.
Fill it in with 2 heaped tablespoons of rice. Press tightly until the rice is snug.
- 10.
Flatten the cone to now look like a triangle.
- 11.
Flap the final opened side over, to complete the triangle & seal in the rice.
- 12.
Arrange the filled triangle in stacks of three, with all the corners not in alignment.
- 13.
Tie the stack of three triangles with one rafia string at each corner of the triangle.
- 14.
This will keep the triangles tightly together when boiling it.
- 15.
When all the triangles have been tied up into 7 batches, place it in boiling water.
- 16.
Make sure the Lopes are submerged below the boiling water. Cover the lid.
- 17.
Boil on medium heat for an hour.
- 18.
Remove the Lopes form the water and place in onto a strainer. Allow it to cool.
- 19.
When ready to consume, peel off the banana leaf, coat the Lopes with Grated Coconut & drizzle generously with Palm Syrup.
- 20.
Oh!!! Yummy! I'm desiring it right now!
- 21.
Put the palm sugar, coarse sugar, water & pandan leaves in a pot.
- 22.
Boil on medium heat.
- 23.
After about 10 minutes, pour the sago mixture gradually over the palm sugar syrup.
- 24.
When it thickens, put aside until ready to serve with the Lopes.
- 25.
Steam the grated coconut over boiling water for about 8 minutes.
- 26.
Remove from steamer & immediately sprinkle with salt.
- 27.
Toss it around until the salt combines.
- 28.
Sprinkle over the lopes when ready to eat.