Bubur Pulut Hitam (Savoury Black Glutinous Rice Porridge)

By Za on Dec 4, 2008 in Desserts, Featured, Food

I’ve been spending the last few weeks enjoying life back in Singapore. I thought it was the food that I missed terribly because I couldn’t get it here. But really it was the people. I copuld trawl the net for recipes, and travel the world to find the food, but the people were priceless. I wish I’d stayed longer, but like the many wants that we have and the limited resources - time being one of these - that we have to content ourselves with, I am thankful that I had whatever time I had to spend with them. So just to continue my gastronomical experience, I decided that Bubur Pulut Hitam would do the trick.

It’s been a really long time since I ate this dessert so I was more than happy to try cooking it. This recipe calls for pandanus leaf (daun pandan) but I have given up ever finding that leaf in this part of the country or the stores here. So I will make do without it. Anyway, the leaf is used to give a more fragrant aroma to the dessert and I was confident that the absence of that leaf will do little damage to the dessert. The final product, as I expected, was delicious, nutty flavoured and soooooo satisfying. My husband wanted third helpings but the pot was already bare! The next time, I’ll have to cook twice the portion below so that we can have thirds and fourths…hmmm.. or maybe not - just to make sure we don’t over-eat

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1/2 cup black glutinous rice
1/4 cup dark brown sugar - packed tightly
3 tbsp granulated sugar
6 cups water

Coconut Sauce:
1/4 cups coconut milk
1/8 cup water
a pinch of salt

Method:

Wash the rice until the water becomes clear. Soak for an hour.
Drain away the water the rice is soaking in. Put the rice in a pot and add water. Bring to a boil.
When boiling, lower the heat to medium heat. Continue to cook the rice for about 1 1/2hr- 2 hr (or until desired texture). Stir every 15 minutes to prevent the rice from sticking to the pot.
If it becomes too dry before the rice reaches the right texture, add more boiled water.
When the rice is ready, add both types of sugar. Stir to mix completely. Turn off the fire.
To prepare the sauce: Combine water, coconut milk and salt. Heat under low fire until the mixture starts to bubble. Turn off the heat.
Serve the rice hot with a tablespoon or more of the coconut sauce spooned on it.

Tips:

The longer you soak the rice, the faster it cooks and the less water you will need. The texture will also become softer.
If you can get gula melaka, use it instead of the dark brown sugar.
Taste to check if it is sweet enough before adding the granulated sugar.
Do not add the sugar before the rice is boiled to the right texture. It takes even longer for the rice to cook if sugar is added right from the start.
You might end up adding a lot more water than the 6 cups. But there is no need to worry. The objective of adding the water is so that you can get the rice to the right texture. Some people prefer it slightly crunchy hence using lesser water and some prefer it completely mashed and therefore requiring a lot more water.
Add about 2 pandan leaves tied into a know when boiling the rice in water to enhance the fragrance.

Here are some other blogs featuring this dessert but with variations in the method of preparation and ingredients. So you can have your pick. But I like mine the best!