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Bubur pulut hitam
Bubur pulut hitam: black glutinous rice porridge with palm sugar, pandan and salted coconut cream
Deep purple-black and gently sweet, bubur pulut hitam is ladled warm from big pots at dessert stalls in Singapore's hawker centres, from Old Airport Road to Tekka, and Malay families cook it for breaking the fast during Ramadan or for a rainy-afternoon treat. Black glutinous rice is simmered slowly with pandan until the grains burst and thicken the liquid, then sweetened with gula melaka, so the porridge is creamy, nutty and a little chewy. A swirl of salted coconut cream goes on top just before serving, and the salt is what makes it taste complete. The usual mistake is skipping the soak; unsoaked black rice stays hard at the centre however long you cook it, so soak it for at least 4 hours or overnight before you start. Chef's tip: add the palm sugar only once the grains are fully soft, because sugar firms the rice and stops it breaking down.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the porridge
- 7 oz black glutinous ricerinsed and soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight
- 6 ¼ cups waterplus more as needed
- 3 pandan leavesknotted
- 3 ½ oz palm sugar (gula melaka)chopped
- 2 tbsp sugarto taste
- 1 pinch salt
For the coconut cream
- ¾ cup coconut cream
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp rice flour or cornflourmixed with 1 tbsp water
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Drain the soaked 7 oz black glutinous rice and put it in a heavy pot with 6 ¼ cups water and 3 pandan leaves. Bring to the boil over a high heat.
5 minStep 2: Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 45–50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and more often towards the end, until most of the grains have split and the liquid is thick and creamy. Add a splash of hot water if it thickens before the rice is soft.
50 minStep 3: Stir in 3 ½ oz palm sugar (gula melaka), 2 tbsp sugar and 1 pinch salt and simmer for 5 more minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the porridge coats a spoon. Remove the pandan.
5 minStep 4: For the topping, warm ¾ cup coconut cream and ¼ tsp salt in a small pan over a low heat. Stir in the 1 tsp rice flour or cornflour mixture and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until just thickened. Don't let it boil hard or it can split.
2 minStep 5: Ladle the warm porridge into bowls and spoon the salted coconut cream over the top in a swirl. It is also good at room temperature on a hot day; loosen with a little hot water if it has set.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 51 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bubur pulut hitam take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 65 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of black glutinous rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of palm sugar (gula melaka)?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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