🍢 SNACK
Pulut Panggang (Bruneian Grilled Sticky Rice Rolls)
Coconut-milk sticky rice rolled around a spicy, fragrant filling of dried shrimp, chili, lemongrass and toasted coconut, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled until the leaf chars.
Bruneian · medium · serves 6
prep 45 min · cook 60 min · plus 4 h hands-off time
~396 cal · 8g protein · 50g carbs · 19g fat · 3g fiber · 5g sugars · 11g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Pulut panggang, "grilled glutinous rice", is one of Brunei's best-loved snacks, sold at hawker stalls and night markets across the country, and at the Gadong night market it is one of the most popular choices. Rolls of sticky rice cooked with are wrapped around a spicy filling of dried shrimp and grated coconut fried with a chili and paste, then rolled up in banana leaf and grilled over charcoal.
The grilling is what makes it. The banana leaf chars and blisters, and the rice next to it takes on a smoky, toasty edge and the leaf's fragrance, while the centre stays soft. The flavour is a balance of sweet, salty and spicy.
The same snack is made in Malaysia and Singapore, where it is also called rempah udang. Rolls are often held closed with a toothpick at each end, and many home cooks now use a grill pan or the oven instead of charcoal.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 300 g glutinous (sticky) rice
- 1 tsp salt (for the rice)
- 150 ml
- 2 pandan leaves, knotted, optional
- 60 g dried shrimp
- 4 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 to 6 fresh red chilies, or dried chilies soaked
- 1 stalk , white part only, sliced
- 2 cm piece fresh turmeric, or 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp belacan (), toasted, optional
- 3 tbsp , plus extra for brushing the leaves
- 100 g unsweetened grated coconut (fresh, or )
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt (for the filling)
- 12 pieces banana leaves, cut into 12 x 16 cm pieces
- 24 toothpicks
Instructions
- 1Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, cover with plenty of water and soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain well.
- 2Steam the rice with the salt and pandan in a cloth-lined steamer over high heat for 20 minutes, until almost tender. Tip it into a bowl, stir in the coconut milk, return it to the steamer and steam for 10 minutes more, until glossy and fully cooked. Let it cool until you can handle it.
- 3Meanwhile soak the dried shrimp in warm water for 10 minutes, drain and pound or blitz them to a coarse floss. Pound or blend the shallots, garlic, chilies, lemongrass, turmeric and belacan to a paste with a splash of water.
- 4Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and fry the paste for about 5 minutes until fragrant and the oil separates. Add the shrimp and fry for 2 minutes, then add the coconut, sugar and salt and stir-fry for 5 to 8 minutes until dry, fragrant and golden. Cool.✎ Chef’s noteKeep the filling moving and fairly dry. A wet filling makes the rolls soggy.
- 5Pass the banana leaves briefly over a flame or through boiling water to soften them, wipe dry and brush lightly with oil. Spread 2 to 3 tbsp of rice in a strip on a leaf, lay a line of filling down the middle, and roll the leaf up tightly so the rice closes around the filling. Pin each end with a toothpick.
- 6Grill the rolls over medium charcoal, on a grill pan or a dry frying pan for 12 to 15 minutes, turning, until the leaves are charred in patches and the rice is hot and toasty. Serve warm or at room temperature, unwrapping as you eat.
Bruneian market tradition, shared with Malaysia and Singapore.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Bandar Seri Begawan. The dish is Brunei's national one but not Brunei's alone; Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan eat the same thing under the names linut or pinantung. The starch comes from inside the trunk of the sago palm, which is felled, split and washed out rather than harvested like a grain.
🗺️
Brunei. Bruneian cuisine echoes Malay traditions, built on rice, seafood, and the distinctive sago-starch ambuyat eaten with a sour dip. Rich, spiced, and coconut-laced, it reflects a small, food-loving sultanate.
🌍
Asia. Fermentation is the thread that runs the whole way across: soy sauce and miso, Korean doenjang and kimchi, Southeast Asian fish sauces, the soured batter behind an idli. Chilli is the newcomer among them, arriving only after 1500 with Portuguese and Spanish traders, which makes the heat in Sichuan, Thai and Korean cooking far younger than the fermenting underneath it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Brunei
AmbuyatA glassy sago starch eaten with bamboo forks and dipped in a tart, pungent cacah sauce.
KatilapamSoft steamed rice-flour cakes lightly spiced and faintly sweet, a Bruneian teatime and breakfast bite.
Nasi KatokA simple plate of rice, fried chicken, and fiery sambal, Brunei's famously cheap everyday meal.
Browse all Brunei recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Wok, Skillet or frying pan, Grill or barbecue, Steamer, Blender.
Storing it: Best straight off the heat. Leftovers keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated and reheat well in a hot oven rather than the microwave.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Pulut Panggang (Bruneian Grilled Sticky Rice Rolls)?
Coconut-milk sticky rice rolled around a spicy, fragrant filling of dried shrimp, chili, lemongrass and toasted coconut, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled until the leaf chars.
Where does Pulut Panggang (Bruneian Grilled Sticky Rice Rolls) come from?
Pulut Panggang (Bruneian Grilled Sticky Rice Rolls) is a Bruneian dish from Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
Can Pulut Panggang (Bruneian Grilled Sticky Rice Rolls) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Pulut Panggang (Bruneian Grilled Sticky Rice Rolls) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Pulut Panggang (Bruneian Grilled Sticky Rice Rolls) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Pulut Panggang (Bruneian Grilled Sticky Rice Rolls) take to make?
About 5 h 45 min in all: 45 minutes prep and 60 minutes cooking, plus 4 h of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 6.
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