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By Mihar Dias April 2025
On the third day of Hari Raya, when the festive glow lingers but the kuih trays begin to look suspiciously identical to yesterday’s, we found ourselves blessed with an abundance of ketupat palas—that modest triangular parcel of glutinous rice, swaddled in palas leaves like a well-wrapped secret.
Normally, we’d do what any red-blooded Malaysian would: peel, dip in rendang, eat, repeat.
But this year, we had guests. And not just any guests—our neighbours from Hong Kong, lovers of texture, subtlety, and the poetic crunch of a well-seared turnip cake.
The plan was to host a Raya brunch, and we were torn. Should we serve ketupat palas in its glorious traditional form? Or do the unspeakable—reinterpret it?
The jury in our kitchen was divided. “Why adulterate tradition?” asked one purist, arms folded like a Peranakan matriarch. But then came the voice of compromise: have both. And so we did.
Our ketupat palas underwent a transformation worthy of a culinary reality show.
Diced into golden cubes, stir-fried gently with taugeh, spring onions, and slivers of rendang tok, the glutinous rice held its own—crisped edges giving way to that signature chewy centre.
The result? Think Chinese loh bak gou meets Kampung Rendang Carnival, bathed in the perfume of garlic oil and a sambal oelek kiss.
The reaction? Euphoric. Our Hong Kong guests practically declared a diplomatic treaty over brunch. They left not just with full bellies but handwritten recipes and photos, praising the dish as “crispy on the outside, soft on the inside,” a nostalgic nod to their beloved daikon radish cake—but upgraded with shredded buffalo meat and a sauce that whispered smoky rempah stories with every bite.
Even Chef Jo—yes, that Chef Jo, former MasterChef Malaysia juror and local culinary oracle—was momentarily speechless. “Spellbound,” he said at last, holding up a single piece like it was a relic from the gods of fusion.
In the end, what emerged wasn’t just a brunch. It was proof that ketupat palas isn’t a relic of the past—it’s a blank slate for connoisseurs and curious cooks alike. Versatile, surprising, and still deeply Malaysian at heart, it proved itself not just as a side dish, but a star.
Call it fusion, call it culinary diplomacy, call it ketupat 2.0. Whatever the name, one thing’s certain: on the third day of Raya, tradition didn’t just survive. It sizzled.
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