Arem-Arem — Central Java, Indonesia

Arem-arem is a cylinder of rice wrapped in banana leaf around a savory filling of diced vegetables, tempeh or oncom, sometimes minced meat, cooked until firm and sliced for eating. It is often described as a smaller version of lontong with a filling, and is also called lontong isi. This version is reported from Central Java, where it is common across the island, sold in markets as a jajan pasar (market snack) and served at ceremonies, family gatherings, birthdays and office meetings, often presented in a snack box. Rice is partly cooked with coconut milk and a pinch of salt, then spread over a piece of banana leaf. A filling of crumbled tempeh, diced carrot and green beans sautéed with garlic and ground coriander is laid along the center, and the leaf is rolled tightly into a cylinder with the ends folded and secured. The rolls are steamed until the rice is fully cooked and the cylinder firm, then cooled slightly before being sliced. What distinguishes this version is its use of regular rice rather than the glutinous rice found in the similar snack lemper, together with its savory vegetable-and-tempeh filling, giving arem-arem its own place among Javanese rice-in-leaf snacks.