MUKAH: Glutinous rice cooked in bamboo, popularly known as lemang locally, is a must on the menu during Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
It is one of the items on the menu for guests, along with chicken and beef curry or chicken and beef rendang — not only during Aidilfitri, but also Gawai Dayak and Christmas as well.
However, preparing lemang is not a simple task, and not many people know how to do or are willing to do it because of the nature of the process.
Among others, the process includes obtaining bamboo and firewood from the forest or the market, as well as banana leaves.
Plawin Kimli, 53, from Kampung Tellian Daya (Tellian Ulu) here, is one of those people who know how to prepare lemang with a reasonably good taste.
He and his wife Madlin Martin, 43, have been preparing this delicacy for many years, initially for their own consumption and later for sale.
According to him, they used to prepare lemang in the village here and in Bintulu, for their own consumption, including for Gawai Dayak and Christmas as well as Aidilfitri.
Plawin, a teacher at a vocational school in Bintulu, revealed that this year was the first time they took orders from customers for Aidilfitri.
He said they began preparing lemang sometime in the middle of the fasting month of Ramadan and between 40 and 60 units daily — all sold out at a price of between RM10 and RM15 per a unit depending on the size.
“We received orders from customers for Aidilfitri and tomorrow (today) we will be preparing 200 units,” Plawin told New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
He said in the last few days, orders were also received from outside Mukah, and the customers came personally to collect.
Plawin revealed that 30kg of glutinous rice was used daily to produce between 40 and 60 units of lemang, and between 70kg and 80kg would be required to make 200 units.
He said for every 10kg of rice used, between 2.3kg and 2.5kg of coconut milk was added to prepare the mixture, which also contained a certain quantity of salt to make the lemang taste better.
He added that bamboo and firewood were obtained from nearby forest.
