Lemper, an Indonesian snack wrapped in banana leaf, is a popular snack served during an afternoon tea, in a business meeting or at an informal get-together. This savory rice roll is made of sticky rice, with savory filling, usually chicken or beef seasoned with spices such as garlic, coriander, candlenut and cumin. A grilled version of lemper is popular in the Eastern part of Indonesia.

Sticky rice rolls are available in many counties with different varieties including the fillings, but none is more unique than one prepared by The Rice Magicians.

I first saw rice magicians performed at the QQ Rice outlet at the Square 2 shopping mall in Novena, Singapore. Basically, their products are sticky rice balls, called QQ Rice that customers can create through three steps, assisted by the rice magicians (the servers in the shop). Step 1 is to select your rice. Step 2. is to select your favorite fillings, maximum 5 varieties and Step 3 is to select your sauce. The rice magician will then roll your order neatly in a clear plastic sheet.

At the Novena outlet there are seven rice varieties: brown rice, purple rice, mixed grain, wheat germ, wheat five and red rice. Each has its own health benefits. Purple rice, for example, has rich nutrients for women and the elderly. It improves the immune system and eases joint problems. The mixed grain consists of 12 types of grains that provide balanced nutrition.

The selection of fillings is enormous, as you can choose from varieties of meat, seafood, or vegetarian items. Last I read QQ Rice has more than 100 types of stuffing.

If you don’t want to make a decision to choose from the many fillings you can ask for QQ Rice signature rice rolls. Braised Taiwan Q-Tofu comes with braised Taiwan Q-Tofu, sweet corn, braised peanut and emperor vegetables. A more local flavor, sambal squid & crab rice roll consists of sambal squid & crab, ikan bilis, broccoli, and braised peanut.

As if rice rolls are not enough, QQ Rice also serves rice drinks and desserts such as brown rice coffee, purple rice juice, matcha soya, and mixed grain pudding.

Yu Cheng – Lung, who took over rice his family’s breakfast eatery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, first created QQ Rice in 1988.

As reported by Taiwan Info, figuring that people were probably bored of the standard fare sticky rice rolls with the same fillings day by day such as fried dough sticks, Yu decided to be creative and began offering dozens of fillings for people to choose from.

"People can pick whatever they like in their rice rolls such as scrambled eggs, dried seaweed, sausages and they can try a different combination every day," Yu explained. He also began experimenting with different types of rice.

Yu is essentially an inventor. He has studied 600 types of rice, from Japanese Koshihikari rice to Thai Jasmine rice. He used Japanese yeast to eliminate bloated stomach, a side effect of consuming sticky rice balls.

“I’d like to think of myself as a rice magician, who can easily play with its taste, flavor, color and texture anything. You name it, I will try to deliver it,” Yu says in a Forbes Magazine articles called Dr. Rice. 

QQ Rice now has more than 300 franchises around the world, mostly in Asia. I visited the Novena outlet several times to try different rice and different fillings. The rice is always warm and smells delightful with tasty, crunchy and chewy fillings. Someday I hope to see QQ Rice wrapped in banana leaf like lemper in Indonesia.

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Images: Cover: QQ Rice; Lemper: Blinztree/RF123; All others: Omar Niode Foundation