Burasa

Burasa

Burasa, rice dumpling cooked in coconut milk wrapped in banana leaf, served with serundeng (spicy coconut powder)
Alternative names	Buras
Type	Dumpling
Place of origin	Indonesia
Region or state	South Sulawesi
Main ingredients	Rice, coconut milk, coconut granule

Burasa or buras is a type of rice dumpling cooked with coconut milk packed inside a banana leaf pouch. It is a delicacy of the Bugis and Makassar people of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and often consumed as a staple to replace steamed rice or ketupat. It is similar to lontong, but with richer flavour acquired from coconut milk.

Buras is made by steaming the rice until half-cooked, then cooking further in coconut milk mixed with daun salam (Indonesian bay leaf) and salt until all of the coconut milk is absorbed into the rice. Then the half-cooked coconut milk rice is wrapped inside banana leaves in cylindrical or pillow shapes, secured with strings made from banana leaf fibers (or any kind of string). Usually two cylinders of burasa are tied together as one. The rice packages are then steamed further until completely cooked.

Buras can be consumed as a snack with serundeng (spiced and grated coconut granules), hard-boiled egg, or sambal kacang (spicy peanut sauce). Bugis and Makassar people often consumed burasa as a staple to replace steamed rice or ketupat, usually accompanied with Coto Makassar, konro, pallubasa or nasu lekku (chicken in galangal spice). They also often took burasa as food provisions or rations during sailing or travelling.