Rice that has been packed and wrapped in a woven palm leaf pouch. Cooking the rice by boiling it will make the grains expand to fill the pouch, making the rise compressed. This gives ketupat its rice dumpling characteristics.
The leaves used in wrapping the rice are always shaped into a triangular or diamond form. These shapes facilitate moisture to drip away from the cooked rice while the leaves allow the rice to be aerated and at the same time prevent flies and insects from touching it.
Ketupats are traditionally served by Indonesians on festive occasions such as Lebaran or Idul Fitri.
During those few days, ketupats are often served with other special dishes such as chicken or beef curry, satay, opor ayam, rendang, sambal goreng ati, krechek or sayur labu.