← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 400 g Glutinous (sticky) rice
• 15 Dried butterfly pea flowers (bunga telang), steeped in 4 tbsp hot water (optional)
• 250 ml Coconut milk
• ¾ tsp Salt
• 2 pandan leaves, knotted
• 200 g freshly grated coconut (or thawed frozen)
• 150 g gula melaka (palm sugar), chopped
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 100 ml Water
• 1 pandan leaf, knotted
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch), mixed with 1 tbsp water
• 8 pieces banana leaf squares (20 cm), softened over a flame

Method

1. Rinse the glutinous rice until the water runs clear, then soak it in plenty of cold water for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Drain well.
2. Line a steamer tray with a cloth or banana leaf and spread the rice on it. If using butterfly pea, drizzle the blue water over patches of the rice. Lay the pandan on top and steam over high heat for 20 min.
3. Warm the coconut milk with the salt, then tip the half-cooked rice into a bowl and stir the coconut milk through until absorbed. Return it to the steamer and steam for 15 min more, until every grain is soft, sticky and translucent.
4. Meanwhile, simmer the gula melaka, sugar, water and pandan in a pan over low heat for 3–4 min until the sugar melts. Strain out any grit, return to the pan and add the grated coconut and salt.
5. Cook the coconut over low heat for 8–10 min, stirring often, until it is glossy, dark and moist but not wet. Stir in the cornflour slurry and cook for 1 minute until it holds together.
6. To serve, fold each banana leaf into a cone or lay it flat, press a heaped scoop of rice into it and top with a spoonful of the coconut. Serve warm or at room temperature the same day.

Tips

• Do not skip the long soak: it lets the rice cook evenly to a soft, chewy texture without any hard centres.
• Fresh grated coconut is far better than desiccated here. If you only have desiccated, soak it in 80 ml warm coconut milk first.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

MyKitchen101en Seasaltwithfood