🇧🇳 Bruneian Cuisine

Tapai

Fermented Rice Dessert

Prep Time 30 min
Servings 6
Difficulty Easy
Calories 168 kcal

Sweet, mildly alcoholic fermented glutinous rice with a tangy flavor and intoxicating aroma, served chilled as a unique Bruneian dessert.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Steam soaked glutinous rice for 25-30 minutes until fully cooked and tender.
  2. 2 Spread the steamed rice on a clean tray and let cool to room temperature.
  3. 3 Sprinkle crushed yeast balls (ragi) evenly over the cooled rice and mix gently.
  4. 4 Transfer the rice into a clean glass jar lined with banana leaves.
  5. 5 Press down lightly, cover with more banana leaves and seal the jar.
  6. 6 Store in a warm, dark place for 2-3 days until the rice is sweet, slightly tangy, and has released liquid.

Did You Know?

The fermentation of tapai is so sensitive to temperature and cleanliness that Bruneian grandmothers insist on complete silence in the kitchen while preparing it, believing noise disturbs the process.