Main Dishes & Rice
Nasi Timbel (Sundanese Banana-Leaf Wrapped Rice)
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Servings
4
Level
Medium
Warm white rice wrapped in banana leaf and steamed briefly — the fragrant aroma of the banana leaf instantly makes you hungry. It's usually served complete with fried chicken, fresh sambal, fresh veggies, and fried tofu and tempeh. This is the most iconic Sundanese way to eat rice!
🧂 Ingredients
🍽️ Servings: 4
Adjust the servings and the ingredient amounts & nutrition below update automatically.
- 500g warm white rice
- 8 sheets banana leaves (wilted over a flame)
- Full side dishes: 4 pieces fried chicken
- 4 pieces fried tofu
- 4 pieces fried tempeh
- Fresh sambal: 5 curly red chilies + 2 shallots + roasted shrimp paste + salt + palm sugar
- Fresh veggies (lalapan): Cucumber
- Thai basil
- Cabbage
- Tomato
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👩🍳 Instructions
- 1 Wilt the banana leaves over a flame so they become pliable and won't tear
- 2 Take a sheet of banana leaf and place 1 scoop of rice on top
- 3 Shape the rice into an oval and wrap it up neatly
- 4 Steam the rice packets for 5 minutes so the leaf aroma soaks in
- 5 Fresh sambal: grind the chilies, shallots, roasted shrimp paste, salt, and palm sugar together
- 6 Fry the yellow-spiced chicken until golden brown
- 7 Fry the tofu and tempeh until crispy
- 8 Arrange the nasi timbel on a plate with the chicken, tofu, and tempeh
- 9 Serve with fresh veggies and fresh sambal
💡 Tips
• The banana leaves must be wilted first so they're pliable — if you wrap them right away they'll tear
• The rice should still be hot when you wrap it so the leaf aroma soaks in
• Fresh sambal tastes best when ground with a mortar and pestle rather than blended — the texture is different
• Serve right after steaming so it's still warm
📊 Nutrition Facts / serving
520
Calories (kcal)
28g
Protein
22g
Fat
48g
Carbs
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