Yield
1 X 18-cm Square Cake
Prep Time
mins
Cook Time
mins
Difficulty Level
Download or Print

One of the most popular Nyonya kueh, the Kueh Sarlat is made with a layer of steamed coconut egg custard on top of glutinous rice and black-eyed beans.

Ingredients

GLUTINOUS RICE LAYER

  • Pandan leaves, as needed, rinsed and knotted
  • 400 g glutinous rice, soaked for 2 hours and drained
  • 125 ml coconut milk
  • 325 ml water
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 80 g black-eyed beans (lepak kachang), rinsed, soaked for 1 hour and drained
  • 2-3 dried blue pea flowers (bunga telang), rinsed in water, as needed
  • 1 banana leaf, oiled

PANDAN LAYER

  • 500 ml coconut milk
  • 150 g sugar
  • 10 pandan leaves, mixed with 100 ml water, blended then strained
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 5 eggs
  • 100 g rice flour
  • 3 tsps cornflour
  • A few drops green food colouring
01.

Prepare glutinous rice layer. Fill cake tin with pandan leaves.

02.

Spread drained glutinous rice in cake tin. Add coconut milk, 225 ml water and salt. Stir well to ensure that glutinous rice is evenly coated. Add black-eyed beans and mix well.

03.

Place dried blue pea flowers in a bowl with remaining water. Leave to soak for 15 mins. Strain colouring.

04.

Steam glutinous rice for 30 mins over high heat, then drizzle blue pea flower colouring over rice. Gently mix rice with a fork until blue colouring coats rice evenly. Steam for another 15 mins until rice is cooked.

05.

Allow rice to cool a little, then press down with an oiled banana leaf or spatula to flatten and compact rice.

06.

PANDAN LAYER In a saucepan, cook coconut milk, sugar, pandan juice and salt over low heat until mixture dissolves and there are no lumps. Set aside.

07.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add coconut milk mixture and stir well.

08.

Add rice flour and corn flour gradually, a little at a time, and mix well. Add green food colouring and mix well.

09.

Sift pandan mixture, then pour over glutinous rice layer.

10.

Steam for 20 to 25 mins over high heat until pandan layer sets.

11.

Allow kueh sarlat to cool completely before cutting into serving slices with an oiled knife.

Recipe: Philip Chia / Photo: Courtesy of Marshall Cavendish 

Download or print the recipe