The story of ayam pansuh (when you lift the lid, lemongrass stands in for a bamboo grove)
If you are just boiling chicken, the smell in the kitchen comes close to an ordinary poached-chicken pot. But crush lemongrass with the flat of a knife, slice ginger and galangal thin and lay them on the bottom of the pot before putting in the chicken, and the aroma the moment you lift the lid changes. Behind the clear steam rise a grassy green note and an earthy, citrus-like fragrance. Ayam pansuh is a dish not of a showy sauce but of trapping aroma in the chicken's own broth.
Ayam pansuh (also Manok pansoh) is the bamboo-tube chicken talked about in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is often introduced in connection with the food culture of the Dayak peoples including the Iban: chicken is packed into a bamboo tube with lemongrass, ginger and local leaves and steam-simmered beside a fire. In the Sarawak Tourism Board's and Malaysia.travel's introductions as well, packing ingredients into a bamboo tube and passing the scent of the bamboo itself into the food is treated as the character of the dish.
The origin of steam-simmering in a bamboo tube is usually presented as a method handed down through everyday life, and this article does not assert an exact origin or date.
What is hard in a home kitchen is the bamboo tube itself. We don't recommend cutting decorative bamboo from a home center or bamboo from a garden for cooking, for both hygiene and the safety of the cooking vessel. So this article thinks of the tube as "a long, narrow vessel for aroma" and replaces it with a heavy pot, lemongrass and a little banana leaf. It does not become a fully outdoor dish, but you can bring a green fragrance typical of Sarawak cooking to the clear broth that comes out of the chicken.
Unlike nasi lemak, where coconut perfumes the rice, or laksa, a noodle dish that begins by frying a paste, ayam pansuh does not push with oil. Chicken, aromatics, leaves, water, salt. With so few elements, how you cut, how you control the heat and whether the chicken is cooked through decide the result.
In Malay it is written Ayam pansuh, and in an Iban context Manok pansoh. Explanations use ayam for chicken and pansuh/pansoh for a dish cooked in a bamboo tube. This article uses "ayam pansuh," easiest to find, as the main name, and also notes Manok pansoh in the text.
Ingredients (serves 4; building the aroma without bamboo)
This amount is for eating as a main dish with white rice. Bone-in chicken gives broth easily, so even made in a pot in place of bamboo, the flavor doesn't turn thin. If you use boneless, shorten the simmering time and go a little lighter on salt at the end.
This dish involves chicken, fish if you use fish sauce, and, depending on the brand, seasonings containing wheat or soy. Cook the chicken through, with a core temperature of 74°C at the thickest part as the guide. Keep the bowl, knife and cutting board that touched raw meat separate from the utensils used for greens and serving.
How to replace the bamboo tube and local leaves
| Local element | Role | Realistic home solution | Effect on the result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bamboo tube | Vessel for steam-simmering, green scent | Heavy pot, banana leaf if available | The bamboo scent is faint, but the aroma of the aromatics is trapped |
| Tapioca leaves | Bitterness and the aroma of leaves | Komatsuna, chrysanthemum greens, water spinach | Komatsuna is mild, chrysanthemum greens stronger in aroma |
| Bunga kantan | Floral, sour aroma | Leave out; a little lime at the table | Flavor is different, but it supplies the direction of sourness |
| Outdoor open fire | Warms the bamboo from outside | A pot over medium-low heat | No smoky aroma, but the moistness of the meat is kept |
| Whole chicken or free-range chicken | Broth and springiness | Bone-in thighs, drumettes | Easy to handle at home, and easy to check doneness |
Cassava or tapioca leaves are used in cooking in some regions, but there is no need for a home cook to use leaves whose origin is unknown. The role of the greens is to add a little bitterness and leaf fragrance to the chicken broth. Komatsuna is easy to eat; chrysanthemum greens give a stronger aroma.
What to look for when shopping
Chicken, ginger and komatsuna can be bought at a nearby supermarket. What is worth seeking out is fish sauce, which steadies saltiness and fermented depth; galangal, which ginger can't quite stand in for; and an instant-read thermometer, with which you can check the chicken's doneness by number. For lemongrass, look for frozen stalks, and choosing ones where you can see the thick base makes the aroma easier to bring out.
Lemongrass is the clearest aroma of this dish. Even frozen, if you crush the thick base before using, the green scent passes into the broth.
Galangal adds a hard, citrus-like aroma that ginger alone can't. Any leftover can go into ayam betutu or tom kha gai (in Japanese).
Fish sauce supports the saltiness of a home version made without bamboo. With fish sauce the chicken broth doesn't blur, and any leftover can go into Thai or Vietnamese dishes.
In a home version without bamboo, it is reassuring to check by number whether the thick part of the chicken is cooked. Since you don't simmer hard to keep the aroma, a thermometer speeds up the final decision.
Nutrition guide
| Guide per serving | Value |
|---|---|
| Energy | about 430 kcal |
| Protein | about 36 g |
| Fat | about 27 g |
| Carbohydrate | about 10 g |
| Fiber | about 3 g |
| Salt equivalent | about 3.2 g |
Because you eat the chicken broth as is, fat varies with the amount of skin. On days you want it lighter, skimming about 1 tbsp of oil from the surface after simmering makes it easier to eat. If you will eat it with rice, add salt a little at a time at the end.
Method (reproducing the bamboo scent in a pot)
When using a pot in place of bamboo, what matters is not letting the aroma escape. Rather than boiling hard and cooking briefly, set the chicken on top of the aromatics and steam-simmer it with a little water. Add the greens at the end and finish without clouding the aroma.
How it is eaten locally, and a menu for home
In a Sarawak context, ayam pansuh is sometimes introduced as a dish for celebrations and gatherings. The scene of bamboo tubes over a fire is outdoor cooking itself, but eating it at home, ladling a little soup over white rice and eating the chicken pulled apart is the clearest way.
Among Malaysian dishes, unlike the oily toastiness of roti canai or the herbal soup of bak kut teh, ayam pansuh puts the clean aroma of aromatics forward. If you add a spicy side, put just a little sambal in a small dish. Making the whole pot hot makes the outline of the chicken broth and lemongrass hard to see.
For a menu, white rice, a light salad of cucumber and tomato and unfried stir-fried greens are about right. Rather than pairing it with nasi lemak, made heavy with coconut, plain rice suits this clear soup better.
Where it goes wrong and how to fix it
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Soup is thin | Too much water, or made only with boneless meat | Remove the lid and reduce over low heat for 8 minutes, adding 1/4 tsp salt a little at a time |
| Chicken is tough | Boiled hard, simmered too long | Next time keep it at a gentle bubble. This time, rest it in the soup for 10 minutes |
| Aroma is weak | Lemongrass wasn't crushed | Before eating, add 1 crushed lemongrass stalk to the hot soup and let it steep for 5 minutes |
| Greens are limp | Added too early | Greens for the last 2 minutes only. Next time add them right before serving |
| Raw smell remains | Chicken was wet, or not enough seasoning | Pat dry before seasoning and coat the surface evenly with ginger and salt |
| No bamboo character | A pot gives little bamboo scent | Don't force bamboo; set the direction of aroma with banana leaf and lemongrass |
Try it only if you can get fresh bamboo that can be handled safely as food and have an environment where you can safely use fire outdoors. Wash the inside of the bamboo, use only pieces without cracks or mold, and cook until the chicken reaches 74°C at the center. Do not use decorative bamboo, bamboo that may have been chemically treated, or bamboo you found.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerated storage is about 2 days. Once cooled, move the chicken and soup together to a clean container and refrigerate as soon as possible. Greens lose color over time, so if you are making it ahead, add only half the greens in step 6 and add the rest the next day to keep the texture.
For reheating, use a small pot over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes. If there is little soup, add 2 tbsp water and warm without boiling. In a microwave, heat for 1 minute 30 seconds at 600 W, stir once and add 1 minute at a time. You can freeze it, but the texture of the greens and the aroma of the lemongrass weaken, so it is better to freeze only the chicken and soup and use within 2 weeks.
When you eat it the next day, adding a little black pepper rather than lime brings the aroma back. Too much sourness sends the clear chicken broth in another direction, so keep it to a few drops at the table.
Frequently asked questions
Can it still be called ayam pansuh without a bamboo tube?
The original form is cooked in bamboo. The method in this article is a pot version for safe cooking at home. It explains the bamboo tube as background to the dish's name, but in the actual work it approaches the aroma with lemongrass, galangal and banana leaf. The outdoor smoke and bamboo scent are weaker, but the idea of trapping a green fragrance in chicken broth remains.
Can I make it without lemongrass?
You can, but the outline of the dish changes greatly. Substituting ginger and lime zest gives a refreshing chicken soup, but not the green scent that belongs to ayam pansuh. For the first time, we recommend using lemongrass, even frozen.
Is fish sauce essential?
No. It can be made with salt alone. The 2 tsp of fish sauce is an adjustment to add a little savoriness when made with home chicken. If you dislike the fish smell, leave it out and add just 1/4 tsp more salt.
Can I make it with boneless chicken thighs?
Yes. Cut 650 g into large pieces, make the simmer in step 4 18 minutes, and use step 5 to check doneness. The broth is lighter than with bone-in, so rather than using chicken stock, mixing in 2 to 3 wing sections is more natural.
What if I want it spicy?
Rather than adding more chili to the pot, serving chopped chili, lime and salt in a small dish is easier to eat. Making the whole pot hot hides the aroma of the lemongrass and galangal. It suits this dish to think of adding heat at the table.
Sources and information consulted
- Sarawak Tourism Board, "Ayam Pansuh", consulted 2026-05-20, https://sarawaktourism.com/story/ayam-pansuh/
- Malaysia.travel, "Ayam Pansuh", consulted 2026-05-20, https://malaysia.travel/explore/ayam-pansuh
- Wikipedia contributors, "Ayam pansuh", consulted 2026-05-20, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayam_pansuh
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, "Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart", consulted 2026-05-20, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart
