nasi kucing — Central Java, Indonesia

Nasi kucing, literally cat rice for its small, cat-sized portion, is a modest serving of plain steamed rice wrapped in banana leaf together with a spoonful of topping such as spicy sambal, tiny dried anchovies, or fried tempeh. The portion is deliberately small, closer to a snack than a full plate, and it is usually sold cold or warm rather than hot off the stove. The dish is reported to have started in Central Java, mainly around Yogyakarta, Semarang, and Surakarta, and it has since spread to street stalls and roadside carts across much of the country, where the small wrapped packets are laid out in baskets for customers to pick a few at a time. To prepare it, plain steamed rice is portioned onto a square of banana leaf, topped with a small spoonful of sambal, a scattering of fried dried anchovies, and a strip or two of fried tempeh, then folded into a neat parcel and secured with a toothpick. The parcels are often reheated briefly over a small charcoal grill before serving. The defining feature of this dish is its small size and the way several parcels are bought and eaten together at a sitting, unlike a single, larger plate of rice with toppings served on its own. Vendors typically set out other grilled skewers and fritters alongside the rice parcels, so the meal is built by combining several small items rather than ordering one dish.