Kuih Seri Muka (Steamed Glutinous Rice topped with Pandan Custard)

This dessert is one of many pandan flavoured treats that mom used to make while we were growing up. It is very popular in Malaysia and you can always find them from roadside stalls to restaurants and hotel buffets.  I made one batch today and gave this plate to the lovely elderly couple who lives across the street, Gary & Grace. Mom always gave our neighbours treats and I am continuing the tradition. Its a good way to foster good neighbourly relations....after all they say "love thy neighbor"! So go ahead, try sharing this with your next door neighbor and build that good relations, you will never know when you may need to borrow a cup of sugar and you would not feel awkward when you do.




Ingredients:


Bottom Layer

300g glutinous rice, washed and soaked for several hours or overnight, then drained well
½ - ¾ tsp salt
200ml thin coconut milk
1 pandan leaf (screwpine leaf), knotted

Top Layer

6-7 pandan leaves, cut into 4-5 cm lengths
100ml water
180ml coconut milk (extracted from 1 grated coconut)
130g castor sugar
1 eggs
3 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp all purpose flour

Method:

Put well-drained glutinous rice in a 20cm square cake tin. Add salt to coconut milk and mix then pour over the rice. Stir well and place knotted pandan leaf on top.

Steam the rice over rapidly boiling water for 10-20 minutes or until rice grains are completely cooked.

Discard pandan leaf. Fluff up the rice with a wooden fork. Use a piece of banana leave or a piece of foil to lightly press down the rice into the cake tin until it is compact. Steam the rice again for 12-15 minutes.

To prepare the top layer:

Process the pandan leaves in a food processor until u get a fine pulp. Strain the pandan juice through fine muslin. (Use only 100ml strained pandan juice)

Combine eggs, sugar and coconut milk. Stir lightly until sugar dissolves, then add pandan juice and the 2 types of flour to mix.

Pour the mixture over the prepared rice and steam over GENTLE HEAT for 30 minutes or until completely set. (Do not steam over rapidly boiling water otherwise the custard layer will not be smooth) Allow to cool before cutting into diamond shapes.