‘Lemang Tepung', the forgotten delicacy

Nafsiah displayed the lemang tepung produced by the residents of Kampung Air Kuning, Kuala Pilah recently.

KUALA PILAH – At first glance, it looks like ‘lemang’ made from glutinous rice, which is a popular traditional dish every festive season.

However, it is actually ‘lemang tepung’, which is one of the traditional dishes of Negeri Sembilan.

Some also consider it a sweet treat throughout Ramadan, especially during iftar.

Nafsiah Dagang, 72, said the process of making it is not much different from regular glutinous rice lemang and takes between one to two hours to cook.

“The ingredients used are not many, namely wheat flour, coconut milk and brown sugar. For a better taste, you can use palm sugar.

“You will know it is cooked when the contents slightly overflow from the top of the bamboo,” she said.

However, she said making ‘lemang tepung’ is quite tricky because you need to ensure the mixture is not lumpy before putting it into the bamboo.

Additionally, it should not be filled too full as it may overflow when grilled and should not be too soft.

“If it is not finished, it can be stored in the fridge and reheated by steaming when you want to eat it again,” she said.

Lemang tepung is quite hard to find these days because not many people know about it.

“Nevertheless, there are fans of lemang tepung.

“It has a rich and sweet taste due to the brown sugar and its appearance is similar to ‘kuih kaswi’,”she said.