It is not easy to find coconut tree, let alone finding coconut leave to make ketupat shell :D.
So, for simplicity, during my stay overseas, I still manage to make ketupat. Here's how it done:
1. NO BOILING THE RICE IN PLASTIC way
this is my grandma recipe:
Ingredient:
Rice (2 cups make 2 ziploc sandwich bag)
Water (1,5 time the height of the rice in your ricecooker or pan)
Plastic (you can use normal ziploc sandwich plastic bag on this one)
How to:
1. Rinse rice (make sure you rub them well) until the water is clear (no more cloudy water).
2. Cook as per normal (in rice cooker or pan), you do not have to stir them
3. once cooked, transfer rice to ziploc sandwich bags. press them well (use kitchen towel if it's too hot to handle)
4. let it cool in open area
5. it's ready to cut and serve (or put in your fridge up to couple of days only (NO FREEZER, it will spoil the rice cake))
**Pic numbering not the same as "how to" numbering, it just for visual purposes.
2. PLASTIC BOILING way
You can buy ready to boil rice (rice in a bag) and follow the instruction on the box, all of them need you to make sure the water is ALWAYS covering the bags.
There's a lot of brand, Malaysian has a couple brand of rice in a bag that are most commonly used and it taste better than rice in a bag i found in the supermarket around here. You can get it in asian supermarket, but it cost you big $$$ :P (5 dollars for 6 small bags)
OR you can try make your on rice in a bag.
you can use microwaveable bags to do this.
Ingredients:
Rice
Water (enough to cover the bag at ALL TIME)
Plastic (microwaveable bags, NO ziploc sandwich bag please)
How to:
1. Clean the rice until the water is clear (not cloudy anymore)
2. let the last rinse covering the rice and set it aside for 3 hours
3. drain the rice well
4. get microwaveable bag ready, insert the rice into the bag (min 1/3 to max 2/3). close the opening (you can tie the end, or seal it with sealer or use flame to seal it)
** make sure you make holes on the bag (all over) with tooth pick(or satay skewers) or forks
5. boil with water (make sure the bags are covered at ALL TIME) for about 2 hours
(see if the rice has expand to all parts of the bag)
6. once cook, rinse, let it cool in open area
7. ready to cut and serve
**NO FREEZER storage. only fridge for up to couple of days only
Hope this help :)
