Pulut inti

Ingredients: Rice:
250g glutinous rice, washed and soaked overnight or at least 4 hours
2 pandan leaves, knotted
150ml thick coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 tablespoons sugar
Natural blue colouring, extracted from pounding 10-12 blue pea flowers


Coconut filling:
80g palm sugar or “gula Melaka
60ml water
2 pandan leaves, knotted
100g grated coconut, flesh only
A pinch of salt
10 pieces banana leaves, scalded and cut into 12 cm x 14cm rectangles


Method: Coconut filling:
1. Place palm sugar, water and pandan leaves in a small saucepan.

2. Cook until sugar dissolves.

3. Sieve into a clean saucepan. Add grated coconut, salt and continue cooking, stirring well until mixture is thick (about 10 minutes).

4. Turn off heat and leave to cool.


Rice:
1. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the blue pea flowers to extract its juice. Set aside.

2. Drain glutinous rice in a colander and place in a steamer tray with the pandan leaves.

3. Steam over boiling water for 15-20 minutes.

4. Combine coconut milk, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.

5. Stir until sugar and salt dissolves.

6. Stir coconut milk mixture into the steamed hot glutinous rice. Take three tablespoons hot glutinous rice and mix it with blue pea flower juice. Leave aside until colour absorbs. Mix blue coloured rice with the plain rice.

7. Place a tablespoon of rice in the centre of a banana leaf.

8. Top with a teaspoonful of coconut filling.

9. Fold the left and right sides of the banana leave to the centre and tuck the sides under to form a parcel.

10. Serve with tea or coffee.