Ketupat Palas as illustrated by Microsoft’s Co-Pilot
by Dr Rahim Said
On the third day of Hari Raya, tradition sat proudly on our table in the form of ketupat palas—the palm-leaf-wrapped triangles of glutinous rice that make their annual debut in Malaysian homes during Eid.
Usually, it’s a simple ritual: peel, dip into a pool of rendang, and surrender to that sticky, savoury magic.
But this year, brunch came with a twist. We had guests from Hong Kong— friends with a palate tuned to wok-seared edges, balanced aromatics, and the crisp-soft perfection of dim sum classics. Could we serve them plain old ketupat? Absolutely. Should we? We weren’t so sure.
Cue the kitchen debate. “Why mess with a national treasure?” one voice asked. “Because curiosity is delicious,” someone replied. So we compromised the Malaysian way: by making both.
The traditional ketupat palas stayed untouched. But a second batch went experimental. We diced the rice parcels into neat cubes and stir-fried them in a non-stick pan with taugeh (bean sprouts), spring onions, a garlic-chili sambal, and the secret weapon: shredded rendang tok, that deep, dark caramelized beef slow-cooked in spices till it melts.
Think daikon radish cake — if it took a gap year in Southeast Asia and came back wearing buffalo leather.
The texture? Divine. Crispy on the outside, yielding and chewy on the inside. The flavour? A glorious riot. Funky fermented sambal heat, sweet rendang umami, the crunch of fresh veg, and the comforting backbone of glutinous rice.
Our guests were floored. “This reminds me of turnip cake from home,” one said, “but more… wild.”
The whole dish was rooted in nostalgia but felt entirely new—equal parts dim sum, street food, and Raya feast.
Chef Jo, a former MasterChef Malaysia juror known for his poker face, even broke into a slow, reverent smile.
“Spellbound,” he said. The kind of one-word review that makes you want to frame the plate.
The moral of the story? Ketupat palas is more than a side dish. It’s a versatile canvas—earthy, elegant, and surprisingly adaptable. Fry it. Flip it. Fuse it. It will still carry the story of where it came from while inviting new ones to the table.
Next year, we might just double the batch. One for tradition, and one for the wok.
WE