Lappet
Batak steamed rice cake of coconut and palm sugar, wrapped in banana leaves
Horas! I come from the Batak tribe of North Sumatra, and so do Lappet :)
The last time I was in Toba, about four years ago, the lovely ladies at Piltik Coffee taught me how to make them - no real measurements, just watching, adjusting, being told “no, like this.” They’re made from rice flour, grated coconut, and palm sugar, wrapped in banana leaves and shaped into little pyramids.
As a Batak person, lappet kind of follows you everywhere - at the lapo (eateries), at funerals, with coffee. At a recent family gathering, I caught myself doing what the inang (aunties) do - grabbing a few and quietly storing them in my bag to take home. My Prada, no less.
I’ve been making them again in London - a few rounds of testing, cross-referencing what I was taught with various tutorials by YouTube aunties, trying to get it right here.
I sent it to my dad. He takes his lappet very seriously - I’ve sat through many parcels he’s disapproved of.
“Ini baru lappet beneran.”
/ “now that’s what I call lappet.”
Lappet
Soft, lightly sweet parcels of rice flour, coconut, and palm sugar, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed until set. Best eaten warm, slightly fragrant from the leaves.
Ingredients
450g rice flour
450g grated coconut (fresh or frozen, thawed)
300g gula jawa / gula melaka, finely shaved
(if very hard, warm slightly to soften so it can be shaved - don’t melt it)5 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp salt
3 pandan leaves, knotted
Banana leaves, cut into large rectangular sheets (frozen and thawed, or if using freshed, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes)
Method
1. Steam the flour
Place the rice flour in a cheesecloth (or any heatproof cloth bundle) with the knotted pandan leaves. Steam for 45 minutes.
Once done, remove and sift the flour while still warm to break up any lumps.
2. Steam the coconut
Steam the grated coconut for 30 minutes until fully cooked and fragrant.
(If you have a tiered steamer, you can do this at the same time - just stagger the timing.)
3. Make the batter
In a large bowl, combine the sifted rice flour, caster sugar, and salt. Mix well.
Add the steamed coconut and mix until evenly combined.
The mixture should feel moist and slightly clumpy, but not wet.
4. Shape the lappet
Take a piece of banana leaf and fold it into a cone.
Add about 2 tbsp of the batter, then press it down firmly with a spoon so it’s compact (padat). Add 1tbsp of shaved palm sugar, then add another spoonful on top and press lightly again.
Fold one side of the leaf over, then the other, and tuck the top in to seal.
5. Steam
Arrange the parcels in a steamer and steam for 50 minutes.
To serve
Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
They should be soft, gently sweet, with little pockets of melted palm sugar and a light banana leaf fragrance.
Notes
Don’t skip steaming the flour - it changes the texture completely
Pressing the filling firmly helps the lappet hold its shape
Shaved palm sugar gives you those little caramel pockets - melting it will change the texture
di manado namanya kukis koyabu