The preparation of the meal is very simple indeed. Nevertheless, the cooking part requires extra care and attention to avoid from overburning of the bamboo. The use of bamboo is a natural way of cooking that seals in the flavours and produces astonishingly tender chicken, perfumed with lemongrass and bamboo. The ingredients are whole chicken, steam rice, salt, ginger, lemon grass, tapioca leaves and of course, a little bit of water to boil.

Instead, it relies directly on the bamboo shaft it is cooked in as its skin. Traditionally, coconut milk was not used for pangkang but today, it has become more common. Without refrigeration, pangkang can be kept at room temperature for days and is only cut when served.

Dishes traditionally paired with pangkang were fried dahang ikan or pekasam ikan or it used to be eaten on its own. Now, with the diffusion of cultures especially from coastal communities, pangkang is eaten with curries, tomato ketchup and even kuah kacang.

Pangkang is usually made and eaten for the harvest festival like Gawai, Christmas, or any cultural or social event. It is sometimes used as offerings for departed family members or rituals to propitiate the spirits.