Serimuka or Pulut Serikaya

Serimuka or Pulut Serikaya is a two layered nonya/malay kuih consisting of glutinous rice base and a green custard layer topping.  Coconut milk is the main ingredient which is used to impart the creamy taste in the glutinous rice and custard layer.

Base Ingredients:

350g glutinous rice, to be washed and soaked in water overnight

3 pandan leaves, to be tied into a knot

250 g coconut milk

salt to taste

Method:

Boil water in steamer. Place glutinous rice into a sieve to drain the water. Transfer glutinous rice & pandan leaves to a container and steam over high heat for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, add a pinch of salt (to taste) to coconut milk and stir well. Remove glutinous rice to a bowl and add coconut milk mixture. Stir well and return to container. Steam for a further 10 minutes.

Note: I use a 20 cm diameter cake tin with a loose bottom. Dab some cooking oil onto a kitchen paper and grease the cake tin all over. This will help when removing the kuih from the cake tin.

Once glutinous rice is ready, remove from steamer. Don't forget to remove the pandan leaves. Transfer mixture to cake tin. Press down firmly by using a piece of banana leaf. Here, I used my stainless steel meat "whacker" (for Wienerschnitzel). Poke the base a few times with a satay stick in order that the serikaya topping will stick onto base.

Serikaya Topping Ingredients:

6 eggs ("M" size)

255 g sugar

550 ml coconut milk

2 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp tapioca flour (cornflour or custard powder can be used)

green colouring

a few drops of yellow colouring

1 tsp pandan essence

4 pandan leaves, to be tied into a knot

Method:

Whisk eggs and sugar together lightly. Add in coconut milk and mix well. Add sieved plain flour and tapioca flour. Mix well again. Then, add green colouring. One has to roughly estimate how much green colouring to add in. I suggest that you add a few drops at a time until a nice green colour is attained. Then add a few drops of yellow colouring and mix well.

Transfer mixture through a sieve to a medium-sized pot and add in pandan leaves. Cook over medium heat until mixture starts to thicken slightly. Remove from heat. Don't forget to remove the pandan leaves. Pour mixture over glutinous rice base. Note: Most recipes do not include this heating of topping. My mum does this in order that the topping has a nice texture. Furthermore, my mum does not use the juice from pandan leaves or pandan paste.

Steam for about 40 minutes over high heat. Leave to cool before removing from cake tin. Remember to loosen the cake tin's ring slightly before running your knife along the circumference of the kuih. Cut by using a wet knife or a plastic knife before serving.

Bon Appetit!