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Wajik
Sticky rice palm sugar cake
Wajik: Javanese sticky rice cooked in coconut milk and palm sugar, cut into diamonds
Wajik means diamond, the shape it is cut into for Javanese weddings, Lebaran open houses and the trays carried to a family's new baby. Glutinous rice is steamed, then folded through a bubbling caramel of palm sugar, coconut milk and pandan until every grain is glossy and the mass pulls away from the wok. Pressed and cooled, it slices into chewy, toffee-brown pieces that keep for days. Chef's tip: keep stirring once the rice goes into the syrup; walking away for even a minute lets the sugar scorch on the bottom and the whole batch tastes bitter.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb glutinous ricesoaked in water for at least 4 hours or overnight
- 9 oz palm sugarchopped
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 3 pandan leavestied in a knot
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp coconut oilfor the tin
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Drain 1 ⅛ lb glutinous rice and steam it on a cloth-lined steamer over high heat until the grains are tender and translucent.
30 minStep 2: Meanwhile, simmer 9 oz palm sugar, 1 ¾ oz sugar, 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, 3 pandan leaves and ¾ tsp salt in a wide wok over a medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the liquid reduces to a thin caramel.
10 minStep 3: Strain the syrup to remove any grit from the palm sugar, return it to the wok and add the steamed rice.
Step 4: Cook over a medium-low heat, stirring and folding constantly, until the rice has absorbed the syrup, looks glossy and dark, and the mass comes away cleanly from the sides of the wok.
20 minStep 5: Grease a 20 cm square tin with 1 tsp coconut oil, press the rice in firmly with an oiled spatula and leave to cool and set.
60 minStep 6: Cut into diamonds with an oiled knife. Wajik keeps 3 days at room temperature in a sealed box.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does wajik take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of glutinous rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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