Compressed rice cooked inside intricately woven palm leaf pouches, producing dense, chewy rice cakes that are sliced and served as a festive accompaniment to stews and curries.
Instructions
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1
Weave coconut leaf strips into small diamond-shaped pouches, leaving an opening at the top for filling.
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2
Fill each pouch halfway with washed rice, leaving room for the rice to expand during cooking.
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3
Seal the pouches by folding the leaf tops and securing with a strip of leaf.
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4
Place all pouches in a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil for three to four hours.
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5
Remove pouches from water and let cool until firm. The rice compresses into solid, sliceable cakes.
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6
Unwrap the palm leaves and slice the rice cake into pieces with a wet knife. Serve alongside stews.
Did You Know?
The art of weaving katupa pouches is traditionally taught from grandmother to granddaughter, and the speed of weaving is a source of family pride.
The Story Behind Katupa
Katupa connects Timorese cuisine to the broader Malay-Indonesian world, where similar compressed rice cakes are made across the archipelago. In Timor-Leste, katupa holds special significance as a dish shared across religious lines, prepared by both Muslim and Catholic communities for their respective holidays. The intricate weaving of the palm leaf pouches is a form of edible folk art that has been practiced for centuries.
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