I miss home...

I finally got around to cooking something that I've been wanting to since...awhile ago. haha. Pulut Hitam. For those who are unfamiliar, it's a malay dessert that's quite similiar to a soup. It's creamy because of the black glutionous rice that is used and it's usually served with swirls of coconut milk.

Okay, so I'm not the usual fan of Pulut Hitam but all the same, I missed home and this was one of the easier (and more interesting) desserts. GAH, I'm having trouble typing because my arm hurts from carrying the microwave. I know, i love carrying microwaves around for fun, makes me feel so...manly. hah! kidding, ours died, apparently it's 10 years old. So it just failed on us one day and I have to say, living without a microwave is worse than living with a tv. AND I'VE SURVIVED WITHOUT BOTH. I deserve icecream for that. oh! and I still don't have my tv, but TOMORROW-it's coming. can you say heyyy...hoh YIPPEE AYE YO! nownow, don't judge me. =P

Okay, back to the pulut hitam. I burnt it, well, i thought i did, but in the end i realized that it was just a case of the rice being STUCK at the bottom of the pot, but luckily, i transferred whatever that wasn't stuck into a smaller pot and continued letting it simmer while I so painstakingly scrubbed the stuck rice off the big pot. ohwell. =) I should have ended up with MORE of the pulut hitam but because well, 1/2 of the rice got stuck and some of the 'soupy' bit got erm, bubbled out of the pot sooo, I ended up with about 5 serves. lovely. It was good though, albeit a little too much pandan (screwpine) leaves so I will use less next time. ALL IN ALL! It was a good first try, and my sister loved it. =)

By the way, I'll be submitting this to The Heart of the Matter since it's low in fat compared to other desserts and has no butter/oil or eggs and dairy in it. =) check the round up out!!!


the icing sugar, gula melaka and pandan leaves, about to be stirred in

Pulut Hitam (Black Glutionous rice pudding from Malaysianfood.net)
280g Black Glutinous Rice
4700ml water
55g icing sugar
55g gula melaka [coconut palm sugar]
2 pandan[screwpine] leaves [substitue with pandan essence/coconut essence]
2 tbsp corn flour [i left it out, forgot]
3 tbsp water [left it out, again]
1 can coconut milk [for topping]

Wash glutinous rice until the water runs clear. Leave rice to soak in water for 2-3 hrs or best overnight in the refrigerator
Put rice and water in a deep pot and cook over med heat until the rice is soft and creamy
When reached the desired creamy consistency, add gula Melaka [Malaccan sugar], pandan leaves [optional] and icing sugar
Simmer for another 10-15 mins
In a small bowl mix the cornstarch flour and water
Add the cornstarch slurry into the rice, keep stirring
As soon as a boil is reached, remove from heat
Ladle into dessert bowls, swirl 2 to 3 tbsp of the coconut milk on top, serve warm