more Malaysian nyonya kuehs! seri muka – steamed glutinous rice and pandan custard

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So before I take off from Brisbane (only two more sleeps until I head back to London!) I managed to harass my mum into making another Malaysian nyonya kueh. Ok ok, it didn’t take much harassment, she loves making these and seeing as my dad isn’t a huge fan, she’s adored having me here because me? I’ll eat all of it. I love this stuff.

This one here is called seri muka and it’s basically steamed glutinous rice on the bottom, topped with a layer of pandan custard. Taste-wise it’s actually very similar to the pulut tatal, except the pandan kaya in that instance is made as a spread and this one is steamed so it’s more solid and actually part of the kueh.

As you can probably tell from all of the two recipes I’ve shared so far, us Malaysians are really into coconut. And why not? It’s fragrant and delicious and… fragrant and… delicious. I mean, what else do you need?

We also love pandan which, incidentally, is also super fragrant. Did you know pandan leaves repel cockroaches? OH YEAH. #thethingsIlearnfromwiki

Anyway, two more sleeps until I head back to London. Can you believe it’s been 4.5 weeks since the surgeons ripped into me and removed over 12 inches of my large intestines. It’s been an interesting 4.5 weeks, from being completely immobile and on a liquid diet in hospital, to learning to sit up on my own again, to walking to eating and now I’m all clear to take the long flight home.

I’m still not 100% – I’m still eating less and only having pretty easily digestible food. I still can’t lift anything heavier than a 2L bottle of milk and I can’t run. I can’t even walk fast. But I’ve improved hugely over the last few weeks so it only gets better from here!

ps. How cute is this tea pot/cup set my parents brought back from China?

Seri muka (steamed glutinous rice and pandan custard)
Bottom layer:
300 grams glutinous rice, washed, soaked for 4 hours and drained
180mL coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt 

Top layer:
4 eggs
150 grams sugar
350mL coconut milk
3 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons pandan juice (can be created with coconut milk, water, 1 drop pandan extract and 1/4 teaspoon pandan essence)
a few drops green food colouring
  1. Bottom layer: Put all ingredients into a 22cm steaming tray and steam with high heat until cooked (about 45 minutes).
  2. When steamed, press the glutinous rice into a flat tray (approximately 22cm square) and press heavily until firm.
  3. Top layer: Place eggs and sugar in a bowl and stir lightly until the sugar is dissolved.
  4. Add coconut milk, flour, pandan juice and green colouring and mix well.
  5. Pour onto bottom layer through a strainer. Steam with low heat until set (about 20 minutes).
  6. Remove and leave to cool before cutting into diamond shaped pieces.

Note: when steaming the top layer, steam on very low heat. If steamed too quickly, the egg will cook too quickly resulting in a lumpy top layer.
Shared dish.
Posted in: Eating In, Foodie, Recipes

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