Kelupis

What it really is

A Bruneian sticky-rice cake wrapped in leaves and cooked until compact and fragrant.

Glutinous rice is mixed with coconut milk, wrapped in leaves and steamed or boiled until cohesive.

Kelupis is a Bruneian sticky-rice cake in which glutinous rice is wrapped in leaves and cooked until compact. Coconut milk and salt enrich some versions; the leaf wrapper helps hold the parcel together and contributes aroma during steaming. Leaf choice, size and tightness of the wrap differ, but the central food is the rice cake rather than a filled dumpling.

How it's served

• Unwrapped and eaten as a snack or with savory dishes.
• Recipes vary; describe the version actually prepared.

Serve the parcel warm or at room temperature, unwrapped or opened at the table. It can be eaten as a snack or alongside savoury dishes. The sticky grains hold together in a compact portion, which makes the cake portable and easy to share. If the kitchen serves it with a separate sauce or protein, identify those accompaniments rather than suggesting that they are inside the leaf parcel.

How to write it on the menu

• Confirm recipe-specific ingredients and allergens before making dietary claims.
• Nutrition values are approximate per-100 g estimates, not laboratory analysis.

Name glutinous rice and disclose coconut milk where used. Explain that the leaf is a wrapper, not an edible filling, and list any sauce or savoury side separately. Do not assume that all kelupis recipes contain the same leaf or coconut proportion.