Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Bruneian

Kelupis

Vegetarian

Glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, wrapped in leaves into slim parcels and steamed until dense and fragrant — a Bruneian snack eaten with curry, rendang or on its own.

Kelupis is a Bruneian rice dish, ready in about 2 hours 15 minutes and made with glutinous rice and coconut milk. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
30 min
Cook
1 h 30 min
Rest
15 min
Total
2 h 15 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
327

Plus at least 3 hours soaking for the rice.

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Soak the rice for at least 3 hours, then drain.

    • 2 min

  2. Step 2

    Warm the coconut milk (opens in a new tab) with the salt and pandan (opens in a new tab) leaf. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until it has absorbed the liquid but is still half-raw. Cool slightly.

  3. Step 3

    Roll spoonfuls of rice in strips of softened banana leaf into slim cylinders about 2 cm thick, folding in the ends and tying with string. Leave room for the rice to swell.

    • 25 min

    Nyirik leaves are used in Brunei; banana leaves work well.

  4. Step 4

    Steam the parcels over boiling water until the rice is fully cooked and compact, topping up the water as needed.

  5. Step 5

    Rest 15 minutes, then unwrap and slice to serve.

    • 2 min

    Food safety: Cool leftover cooked rice quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour; reheat until piping hot and only once.

About this dish

Origin
Brunei · Commonly attributedAlso made in Sabah, Malaysia; similar leaf-wrapped rice snacks are found throughout maritime Southeast Asia.Also popular in MalaysiaMore food from Brunei
Dish
Breakfast · Snack · Rice dishes · Side dishes
Cooking method
Steamed
Taste
creamy, mild, salty
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Glutinous rice · Coconut milk · Pandan leaves · Banana leaves
Techniques
Boiling · Steaming

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

327 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 109 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 68%
  • Fat 25%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy327 kcal301 kcal
Protein5.4 g4.9 g
Carbohydrate55.6 g51.2 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre——
Fat9.1 g8.4 g
Saturated fat7.8 g7.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium398 mg367 mg
Salt equivalent1 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
141 mg
Calcium
15 mg
Iron
2.4 mg
Magnesium
34 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
10 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): pandan leaves, banana leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Wrap tightly: a firm parcel gives the dense, sliceable texture.

Common mistakes

  • Over-filling the leaves so the parcels burst while steaming.

Serve with

  • Eat with beef rendang, chicken curry or a spicy sambal.

Storage

  • Keep at room temperature for the day or refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Re-steam for 10 minutes until soft.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like