Mara Sticky Rice Cake
Pounded sticky rice formed into dense cakes and steamed in plantain leaves. Mara tribal festival food from Saiha, Mizoram.
Ingredients
- salt (optional) (whole)
- rice — 250 g (ground)
Method
- Soak the sticky (glutinous) rice in water for several hours or overnight until soft.
- Drain well and pound the rice in a mortar (traditionally on a wooden "sum") until it forms a coarse, sticky dough.
- Mix in a little salt to season, and knead briefly into a firm dough.
- Divide into portions and wrap each in plantain (banana) leaves, pressing into flat cake shapes.
- Place the wrapped cakes in a large pot/steamer and steam for 20-25 minutes until firm and fully cooked through.
- Cool slightly, unwrap and slice using plantain fibre (it is too sticky for a regular knife). Serve warm with tea, the traditional Mara tribal festival snack from Saiha.
Common questions
- How many calories in one plate of Mara Sticky Rice Cake?
- 113 kcal per plate.
- How much cooking time?
- 50 min — 30 min prep, 20 min cooking.