Kuih Seri Muka (Nyonya kuih)

Some packed banana leaves caught my eyes in a mini mart. I immediately thought of making some Nyonya kuihs over the weekend.  So, I just grabbed a pack first and to decide what kuih to make later ... either Pulut Inti or Kuih Seri Muka. In the end, I've decided to try Kuih Seri Muka.

My girl saw the pack of banana leaves , she asked "is mom gonna make Nasi Lemak ?"
Mom replied: not gonna tell you but you can make a guess.
My boy saw the soaked glutinous rice and asked "oh is mom making mango sticky rice?"
Mom : did you see any mango in this kitchen? ... LOL!

I wanna give them a surprise .... cos so far, I've never made any Nyonya kuiks for them.

Thanks to Sonia for her recipe sharing. Recipe source : Nasi Lemak Lover kuih seri muka. Replicated below with changes and adjusted the quantity to suit the size of my Pyrex dish and our taste.

Kuih Seri Muka
Bottom layer
200g glutinous rice soak for at least 4 hours and drained
100ml thin Coconut Milk (50ml thick coconut + 50ml water)
1/2 tsp salt
A few pieces of pandan leaves

Top Layer (pandan custard layer)
2 eggs (large)
80g Caster Sugar
100ml Pandan Water (Blend about 12 pandan leaves (screwpines leaves) with 100ml water)
150ml coconut milk
80g All-purpose plain flour
20g Tapioca flour
Pinch of salt
Green Colouring (optional), I use artificial pandan paste a few drops

Method:
1.Bottom Layer: Mix the ingredients well in a heatproof plate (except the pandan leaves). Place the pandan leaves on glutinous rice and steam about 30 minutes. Rest for about 10 minutes. Line the 750ml rectangle Pyrex dish with a big piece of banana leaf. Discard the pandan leaves, transfer and press the steamed rice evenly onto a bottom of the Pyrex dish.

2.Top Layer: Whisk eggs with sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add in pandan water, coconut milk, salt and pandan paste. Mix well.

3.Sift in flours and whisk till well combined. Strain the mixture and rest for 10 minutes.

4.Cook the flour mixture in a heavy saucepan on low heat,  using a wooden spoon to stir constantly until the mixture has slightly thickened. Ensure it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat.

5.Pour the mixture on top of cooked glutinous rice, smooth the top and steam over medium heat for 30 minutes (do not steam over high heat). I cover the Pyrex dish top loosely with a piece of banana leaf to prevent steam from dripping on to the custard layer.

6.Cool completely before serving.

Use a plastic knife to slice it in order to get smooth cut out.

Realised that I didn't smooth the steamed glutinous rice evenly resulted in small 'hump' in the center of custard layer.

Overall,  I like the texture of both the rice and pandan custard and the taste is not overly sweet as compared to the ones bought from confectioneries.

A sweet surprise for my big kids as they thought mom could only bake some muffins, cakes or make mango sticky rice. My big boy commented it tasted very nice with rich coconut and pandan fragrance.

Enjoy ! Hope you have a great weekend too!

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe