How to Make Hanging Rice

A delicious way to prepare rice is the "hanging rice" technique from the Cebu province of the Philippines.

The Cebu province of the Philippines is known for its special way of making boiled rice called puso -- also known as "hanging rice." Hanging rice is a cooking method that is integral to Cebu culture and dates back centuries. Rice grains are wrapped into woven packets of palm leaves and then cooked outdoors, usually as part of a barbecue. Each packet of puso contains about a handful of rice, and 25 packets are bundled together for efficient cooking. It is a portable food well-suited for takeout and easy to serve in large settings, such as barbecue restaurants. Does this Spark an idea?

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Uncooked rice
Palm fronds
Gas-fueled oil drum or large pan of water on stove

Instructions

- 1
  
  Split palm leaves into strips and cut off the ends. Weave them together into a tightly closed package. Then insert a handful of uncooked rice. Filipino preparers use several traditional styles to weave packets, but the key is to weave palm leaves tightly enough that the rice grains can't escape.
- 2
  
  Cook the rice packet in water for 30 minutes. Traditionally this is done outdoors in an oil drum using gas burners or wood for fuel. A large pan of water on a stove would also work.
- 3
  
  Allow to cool, then unwrap the packet and serve. The rice will have the tightly packed texture of a dumpling and, although unseasoned, will have a distinctive flavor brought to it by the palm leaves.