Tripura Awan Bangwi Bamboo Rice Glutinous Tribal Festival Cook

Ingredients

• 1 cup glutinous rice (sticky rice) — washed and soaked 30 minutes
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• Fresh green bamboo tube (5 cm diameter, 30 cm long, sealed at one natural joint)
• OR a regular pot for home cooking
• Banana leaf to seal the tube

Method

1. Soak glutinous rice 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Mix coconut milk, water, salt and turmeric together.
3. Bamboo tube method: fill the bamboo tube with the soaked rice.
4. Pour the coconut milk mixture over the rice — the liquid should just cover the rice with about 1 cm to spare.
5. Seal the open end tightly with a rolled banana leaf plug. Roast the filled sealed tube over a wood fire or gas flame for 30 to 35 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until the rice inside is cooked through. The bamboo imparts a clean, woody, slightly sweet fragrance to the coconut-scented rice.
6. Pot method: combine soaked rice, coconut milk mixture in a pot.
7. Bring to a boil. Stir once. Reduce to the lowest heat.
8. Cover tightly. Cook 20 minutes. Rest covered 5 minutes.
9. To serve from bamboo: split the cooked bamboo lengthwise with a knife.
10. The rice will come out in a cylindrical shape with a slight bamboo fragrance.
11. Slice across into thick rounds.
12. Serve with any Tripuri curry or condiment.