Bubur Pulut Hitam / Black Glutinous Rice Porridge

Servings

Prep

5 min

Cook

1 hr

My siblings and I grew up eating this dessert cooked by our mother. It’s one of my favourite local desserts. I can’t find much information on where this dessert originates from, but it’s eaten in many South East Asian countries. There are many variations of this dessert, depending on which country you have it in. But in Malaysia, it’s prepared with just a simple mixture of pulut hitam (black glutinous rice), coconut milk, pandan leaves (screwpine) and gula melaka (coconut palm sugar).

For the longest time, I have been looking for black glutinous rice in Switzerland. Little did I know, it’s more known as black sticky rice here…because it comes from Thailand and there, they call it black sticky rice. Silly of me to not ask or search thoroughly.

So what is this black glutinous rice? It is an unpolished sticky rice, meaning the bran has not been removed, is purplish black in colour and has a chewy texture. It has a nutty flavour and naturally sweet. This black glutinous rice also contains a lot of fiber and antioxidants. It takes some time to cook compared to regular rice, so some soaking in advance is advised. Otherwise just cook it longer.

Ingredients

1 cup (182 grams) Black Glutinous Rice
5 cups Water
1 small block Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar) *
4 Pandan Leaves, tied into knots
¾ cup Coconut Milk
¼ teaspoon Salt

Directions:

Spread the rice on a bright surface. Check for any impurities such as small pebbles, wood, and so on. This step is optional if you are confident the rice you have is clean.
Wash rice thoroughly – till the water runs clear. Water will have a slightly purple tint.
Add water, rice, pandan leaves, salt and sugar into a pot and bring it to boil for 60 minutes or till the rice splits on medium high heat. Stir occasionally to prevent rice from sticking to the pot. You can add more water if the porridge is dry and the rice has not split yet.
Once the porridge is done, add coconut milk. You can add more if you want the porridge creamier.
Serve with some coconut milk. It can be eaten warm or cold.

Tips: