Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Indonesian Banana Leaf Grilled Tuna Rice
印尼香蕉葉烤吞拿魚飯
Recipe overview
Cooked rice and flaked tuna sealed in banana leaves, pan-toasted until the leaves smell smoky.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 800 g cooked jasmine rice
- 300 g canned tuna in water drained
- 4 large pieces banana leaves
- 6 shallots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 red chilli
- 1 tomato
- 2 stalks spring onions
Seasoning
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
02
Tools
- cutting board
- kitchen knife
- colander
- small frying pan
- spatula
- flat frying pan
- long tongs
- food thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Drain tuna
Drain canned tuna and flake it lightly with a fork.
Step 2
Chop aromatics
Finely chop shallots, garlic, chilli and tomato.
Step 3
Soften shallots and garlic
Heat oil in a small pan and soften the shallots and garlic.
Step 4
Cook tuna filling
Add chilli, tomato and tuna and fry until hot.
Step 5
Season the filling
Mix in lime juice, salt and black pepper.
Step 6
Add spring onions
Fold in chopped spring onions and cool a few minutes.
Step 7
Soften banana leaves
Wipe banana leaves dry and briefly warm them in a dry pan until flexible.
Step 8
Portion the rice
Put 200 g cooked rice on each leaf and spread into a rectangle.
Step 9
Add tuna filling
Place about 75 g tuna filling in the centre of each rice portion.
Step 10
Fold the leaves
Fold each leaf tightly and set it seam-side down.
Step 11
Toast both sides
Cover a dry flat pan and toast packets about 8 minutes per side.
Step 12
Check the centre
Open one packet and verify the rice and filling are piping hot; serve all four.
Common mistakes
- Rice left at room temperature for hours is unsafe even after reheating.
- Cold, stiff banana leaves split when folded.
- A toasted leaf can hide a cold centre.
Tips
Use freshly cooked rice or rice cooled quickly and refrigerated. Make equal-sized packets and open one to check that the centre is piping hot.
