Indonesia - Bubur Ketan Hitam (Black Sticky Rice Pudding with Palm Sugar) Recipe
Indonesia - Bubur Ketan Hitam (Black Sticky Rice Pudding with Palm Sugar) Recipes
Ingredients :
10.5 fl oz / 330g black glutinous rice
40-48 fl oz / 1.25-1.5 liter water
2 pandanus leaves or 2-3 drops pandanus
extract (essence)
6 oz / 185g firmly packed palm sugar
12 fl oz / 375ml thick coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
Method :
Wash the rice
thoroughly in several changes of cold water until the rinsing water runs
clear. Drain well and place in a 1.5-2 qt (1.5-2 liter) saucepan. Add 5
cups (40 fl oz / 1.25ml) of the water and let stand for at least 2 hours
or, preferably, overnight.
Bring the
rice and water to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring
occasionally, for about 40 minutes. If using the pandanus leaves, scrape
the surface with the tines of a fork. Add the pandanus leaves or extract
and palm sugar, stir well, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring
frequently to prevent sticking, until the rice is tender and most of the
liquid has evaporated, 20-30 minutes longer. Check for doneness and, if
needed, simmer a little longer, adding more water if dry, until tender.
Meanwhile, in
another saucepan over low heat, combine the coconut milk and salt. Cook,
stirring continuously, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a
spoon, about 15 minutes.
Spoon into
dessert bowls and pour the coconut sauce over the top. Serve at once.
Serves 6
To the
ordinary tourist, black sticky rice pudding may not look appealing. Yet
once sampled, the dessert wins the votes of even the biggest skeptics.
With its subtly nutty flavor, rich texture, and warm coconut sauce, it
is the ultimate comfort food. If you can find neither the pandanus
leaves nor the extract, add a cinnamon stick for flavor. Palm sugar, in
contrast, has a distinctive caramel flavor and is a must for this
recipe. In Indonesia, the sugar is extracted from the nectar of the
coconut flower. It is cooked down to a thickened syrup, which is then
left to solidify in coconut-shell molds.
