Tape Ketan Madiun, the Real Delicacy of Fermented Glutinous Rice

TIMESINDONESIA, MADIUN – Fermented rice, also known as Tapai or Tape, is a fermented food made from inoculating a carbohydrate with a starter culture. The local community of Madiun, East Java will make it a little bit different to another by wrapping it in guava leaves.  

It needs a long process to make this kind of tapai. You need to soak the rice in water for a night and just let it sit till the morning comes. You will need to steam it for 45 minutes to get the right texture.

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After the process, you need to let it sit to cool off. You may sprinkle the Tape Starter on the rice and mix it with a clean spoon for a minute till its distributed evenly. Be sure to mix the starter and rice well to reduce the risk of spoilage and improve the amount of time needed for fermentation.

After that you could wrap it in guava leaves that has been steamed before and don’t forget to sprinkle each layer with some sugar water, to help start the fermentation process and put it in a covered jar.

Let it sit for two to four days till its fermented. You can find it out whether has it perfectly fermented or not from the nice smell and the alcohol drip between the guava leaves.  You could put it in the refrigerator to make it last longer and add the taste to a nice yummy fresh tapai.

The resulting paste of Tape Ketan (tapai) wrapped in guava leaves of Madiun has a sour and sweet taste and is often eaten directly as food or a perfect companion for your tea time. This good is such a festive food that normally will only be served on a celebration or certain party such as wedding or baby shower. (*)

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