From the recipe collection
Impaltao
Woven glutinous-rice packets boiled in freshly pressed sugarcane juice until firm, caramel-scented, and lightly sweet.
- Prep time
- 40 min plus soaking
- Cook time
- 50–65 min
- Yield
- Makes 10–12 packets
Get everything ready
Ingredients
Tick ingredients as you prepare.
Method
- Taste and strain the sugarcane juice. It should smell fresh and grassy, not alcoholic, fizzy, or sour.
- Mix the drained rice with salt. Fill each clean woven pouch only halfway, then close the ends securely.
- Place the packets in a deep heavy pot and pour in enough sugarcane juice to cover them by at least 5 cm.
- Bring slowly to a boil, watching closely because sugarcane juice foams and can boil over.
- Lower to a steady boil and cook 45–60 minutes, turning the packets once and adding hot juice or water if needed to keep them submerged.
- Cool one packet briefly and check the centre.
- The grains should be tender and lightly caramel-coloured with no hard core.
- Drain on a rack and rest 15 minutes before serving. The packets become firmer as they cool.
