''Burasa'' () (also ''burasa, ''burasak'' or ''buras'') is an Indonesian rice

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, ...

, cooked with

coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ...

packed inside a

banana leaf The banana leaf is the leaf of the banana plant, which may produce up to 40 leaves in a growing cycle. The leaves have a wide range of applications because they are large, flexible, waterproof and decorative. They are used for cooking, wrappin ...

pouch. It is similar to '' lontong'', but with a richer flavour acquired from the coconut milk. It is a delicacy of the

Bugis The Bugis people (pronounced ), also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), in the south-western province of Sulawesi ...

and

Makassar Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Meda ...

people of

South Sulawesi South Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Selatan) is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sul ...

. It is also a dish associated with the Bugis diaspora, notably in the

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

n states of

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares mariti ...

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sem ...

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...

, and

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

where there are large established communities. It is often consumed as a staple to replace

steamed rice Cooked rice refers to rice that has been cooked either by steaming or boiling. The terms steamed rice or boiled rice are also commonly used. Any variant of Asian rice (both Indica and Japonica varieties), African rice or wild rice, glutinous ...

or ''

ketupat ''Kupat'' (in Javanese and Sundanese), ''ketupat'' (in Indonesian and Malay), or ''tipat'' (in Balinese) is a Javanese rice cake packed inside a diamond-shaped container of woven palm leaf pouch, Originating in Indonesia, it is also fou ...

'', and a popular accompaniment to a rich dish of chicken braised with galangal (''ayam masak lengkuas'' in Malay, ''likku'' or ''lekku'' in Buginese). ''Burasa'' is made by steaming the rice until half-cooked, then cooking further in

mixed with '' daun salam'' (Indonesian

bay leaf The bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used in cooking. It can be used whole, either dried or fresh, in which case it is removed from the dish before consumption, or less commonly used in ground form. It may come from several species of tr ...

) and

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

until all of the coconut milk is absorbed into the rice. Then the half-cooked coconut milk rice is wrapped inside banana leaves in cylindrical or pillow shapes, secured with strings, most commonly from banana leaf fibers. Two cylinders of ''burasa'' are usually tied together as one. The rice packages are then steamed further until completely cooked. In Indonesia, ''burasa'' can be consumed as a snack with ''

serundeng Serundeng refers to a side dish or condiment to accompany rice in Indonesian and Malay languages. Serundeng may taste sweet, or hot and spicy according to recipe variants. Its best known variant is an Indonesian preparation of sautéed grated ...

'' (spiced desiccated

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

), hard-boiled egg, or '' sambal kacang'' (spicy peanut sauce). Bugis and Makassar people often consumed ''burasa'' as a replacement to steamed rice or ''ketupat'', usually accompanied with ''

coto Makassar Coto Makassar or Coto Mangkasara ( Makassarese), is an Indonesian traditional soup originating from Makassar, South Sulawesi. It is a variant of '' soto'' traditional beef and offal stew with seasoned broth made from ground peanuts and spices ...

'', '' konro'', ''

pallubasa Pallubasa is a traditional dish from Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Like Coto Makassar, it is made from offal of cattle or buffalo. The cooking process is similar to Coto Makassar; the offal is boiled for long time. After it is boiled, ...

'', or ''lekku''. They also often took ''burasa'' as food provisions or rations during sailing or travelling.

References

{{Malaysian cuisine Makassar cuisine Malaysian cuisine Indonesian rice dishes Vegetarian dishes of Indonesia Foods containing coconut Steamed foods

See also

References