flipTimphan — Glutinous Rice Parcels with Banana and Srikaya
Timphan — Glutinous Rice Parcels with Banana and Srikaya
Why this dish? Timphan, wrapped in a banana leaf, is portable and keeps well: the sweet a mother or wife would slip into the bundle of one leaving. For a woman of Aceh turned fighter, it is the taste of home carried far away.
Small parcels of glutinous rice dough filled with ripe banana or a coconut-egg custard (srikaya), steamed in a banana leaf. The quintessential Acehnese treat.
Before the rifles, I knew my hands full of glutinous rice flour. We wrapped the dough and its sweet filling in banana leaf, tightly, and the steam did the rest. That is what we offered at feasts, and what we slipped into the bag of one leaving, so that he would keep the taste of home on his tongue. Even in the hardest times in the forest, I remembered that sweetness.
- •Glutinous rice flour — as needed (dough)
- •Very ripe mashed banana — a few fruits (dough flavor)
- •Coconut milk — one bowl (binder and filling)
- •Eggs — a few (srikaya custard)
- •Palm sugar (aren) — generous (sweetener)
- •Banana leaves — several (cooking wrap)
Timphan — Glutinous Rice Parcels with Banana and Srikaya
Small parcels of glutinous rice dough filled with ripe banana or a coconut-egg custard (srikaya), steamed in a banana leaf. The quintessential Acehnese treat.
Why this dish? Timphan, wrapped in a banana leaf, is portable and keeps well: the sweet a mother or wife would slip into the bundle of one leaving. For a woman of Aceh turned fighter, it is the taste of home carried far away.
Before the rifles, I knew my hands full of glutinous rice flour. We wrapped the dough and its sweet filling in banana leaf, tightly, and the steam did the rest. That is what we offered at feasts, and what we slipped into the bag of one leaving, so that he would keep the taste of home on his tongue. Even in the hardest times in the forest, I remembered that sweetness.
Ingredients (period version)
- Glutinous rice flour — as needed (dough)
- Very ripe mashed banana — a few fruits (dough flavor)
- Coconut milk — one bowl (binder and filling)
- Eggs — a few (srikaya custard)
- Palm sugar (aren) — generous (sweetener)
- Banana leaves — several (cooking wrap)
Ingredients
- Glutinous rice flour — 200 g (dough)
- Very ripe banana — 2 (mashed) (dough flavor)
- Coconut milk — 200 ml (dough and filling)
- Eggs — 2 (srikaya custard)
- Grated palm sugar — 100 g (sweetener)
- Banana leaves (softened over a flame) — 8 squares (parcels)
Method
- Prepare the srikaya: beat eggs, coconut milk, and palm sugar, cook over low heat stirring until thickened.
- Mix glutinous rice flour, mashed banana, and a little coconut milk into a soft dough.
- Spread a thin layer of dough on a banana leaf square, place a spoonful of srikaya.
- Roll and fold the leaf into a tightly closed parcel.
- Steam for about twenty minutes; let cool slightly before unwrapping.
How it was made : Timphan is a festive treat (especially for Eid) and a welcome gift in Aceh. The banana leaf is not just packaging: it perfumes the dough and allows the sweet to be transported and stored without dishes — ideal for travel.
The contemporary twist : Presented as mini parcels on a slate with a drizzle of coconut caramel, it is an "Aceh street food" dessert that children love.
Cut Nyak Dhien · Charactorium
