Kedayan Tradition · Steamed Rice Parcel

Kelupis

Photo: Night Lantern / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The wrapper is nyirik, a wide forest leaf from the arrowroot family, and it gives kelupis its faint grassy aroma — the same leaf Temburong uses to wrap its wajid.

Kelupis is glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, wrapped tightly in nyirik (irik) leaf, and steamed until firm. Tutong is especially known for the Kedayan community's version of the snack, traditionally made in large batches for weddings, feasts, and religious celebrations.

Why it's made this way: The dish has been passed down through Kedayan households in Tutong for generations, and preparing it for a celebration is still treated as communal work involving several pairs of hands rather than a solo kitchen task.