PULUT INTI
Nyonya Kuih, a well-known sweet is a glutinous rice that is steamed with coconut milk and served with a filling of coconut.
When I saw the gorgeous photos of Pulut Inti, a rich Nyonya kuih, I realized that it’s been ages since I had it.
My late grandmother’s favorite Nyonya kuih was pulut inti. We had this Benggali/Punjabi Kuih Hawker who would come by our house every morning to sell his kuih to our neighbors. His pulut inti was always bought by Grandma in a banana leaf packet, with the inti (the filling) exposed and unwrapped from the banana leaf.
Glutinous rice (sticky rice) is naturally colored blue by the “bunga telang” plant that granny planted in the front yard of our house.
For a few days, the bunga telang were harvested from the vines of the plant in Penang and left to dry in the sweltering sun. Pulut inti (pulut tai tai) is another Nyonya delicacy eaten with coconut and egg jam, which my family eagerly anticipated.
Pulut Inti, a sweet Nyonya Kuih, is a popular choice. Puti signifies filling in Malay while ‘Pulut’ denotes sticky rice in English. Rice is dyed with blue pea flowers, known as “Bunga Telang” in Malay. It imparts a naturally delicious “blue” hue to the rice.
Each serving of this recipe has only 354 calories.
INGREDIENTS:
- 15 pieces of dried Blue Pea Flowers
- 1/4 cup of hot water
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Allow the blue pea blossom to soak for 15 minutes in hot water, or until the water turns blue. Water should be drained out.
- Glutinous rice should be soaked overnight or for at least six hours in blue pea blossom.
- 25 minutes of steaming sticky rice should be sufficient to soften the grain.
- Combine the coconut milk and the salt in a bowl and stir well. Continue steaming the glutinous rice for an additional 10 minutes after adding the ingredients. Remove and let cool.
- Use coconut filling to garnish.
- COCONUT FILLING: Take a little amount of brown or palm sugar and break it into pieces. Add the sugar, pandan leaves, and water to the mixture. Stir until the sugar dissolves and becomes smooth.
- Stir in the grated coconut and cook for a few minutes until the coconut is aromatic.
- Stir in the conflour mixture for 2 minutes. Allow for cooling.