Monday, February 21, 2011

Pulut Hitam

Pulut Hitam (black glutinous rice) with coconut milk is a popular dessert in Malaysia. This dessert brings back happy memories when we were little. A Chinese lady with a few big pots in her little tricycle will go round the village selling this and a few other desserts like bubur trigu (wheat grains), kacang hijau (mung bean) and kacang merah (red beans).  Sometimes we would mixed them all together in a bowl, really good! These are topped with fresh, creamy coconut milk with some salt added.


This is another bowl that was handpainted by my sister! It's beautiful and I love it!




 Get the good quality pulut hitam, they will be starchy and creamy when cooked and delicious.



Pulut Hitam (Black Glutinous Rice) is also very popular in other Asian countries.  These can be cooked directly in a pot over a stove, but you need to watch the fire and stir every now and then, as the bottom can be easily burned as they contain starch. Furthermore, additional water needed to be added in as it evaporates during the cooking process. In conclusion, you need to be very patient, especially in stirring, when cooking this over the stove. So to avoid this, I usually cook this in the slow cooker. I just need to stir only once or twice and do not have to add any water.



Fresh creamy coconut milk is a definite must! You can still have your pulut hitam without the coconut milk, but it will not be the same! My mom used to buy freshly grated coconut and she would add just a little amount of boiled cooled water, mix well and squeezed out the milk over a strainer into a bowl. A big pinch of salt is added into the milk and stir till the salt is dissolved. Keep refrigerated until needed. Now, I buy freshly squeezed coconut milk directly from the store, it is really convenient as they are easily obtainable over here.



Just top with 2-3 tablespoons of coconut milk over the top when served.



This is great for tea-time for a change.  The family would usually enjoy this together. It can be eaten either hot or cold.

Pulut Hitam (Black Glutinous Rice)
(serves 4 to 5)
1 cup pulut hitam (black glutinous rice)
8 cups boiling water (or hot water)
2/3 cup sugar (more or less, to taste)
thick coconut milk from 1 fresh grated coconut
big pinch of salt
2 pandan leaves (screwpine leaves), knoted


  1. Wash pulut hitam (black glutinous rice) until water runs clear. 
  2. Put into a slow cooker and add 8 cups boiling water. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.
  3. Stir and add in pandan leaves and sugar to taste. Cover and continue to cook on high for another hour.
  4. Meanwhile, squeeze grated coconut over a strainer into a bowl. If you are using your hands to squeeze manually, add about 1/4 cup boiled cool water to the grated coconut, mix to combine and squeeze out milk. I bought freshly squeezed coconut milk from the shop as fresh coconut milk is easily obtained over here. I need to strain the milk as there may be some grated coconut bits in the milk. Add a big pinch of salt to the milk and stir till salt is dissolved. The milk should be slightly salty. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use. 
  5. To serve, scoop some pulut hitam into a bowl and top with about 2  to 3 tablespoon of coconut milk. Stir to combine and enjoy!

32 comments:

  1. This sounds so exotic and DELICIOUS...something I would love to try...I do love the bowl your sister painted..Something made with love. Blessings, Catherine

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love reading about your dishes- they may be everyday dishes to you, but they seem exotic to me because I've never had them before! I wonder if I can find black glutinous rice here... this looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I completely agree with scrambledhenfruit above me. Your dishes are always so unique and interesting. This one sounds yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks so delicious. One of my favorite! To give something extraordinary taste to this desert, normally I eat/mixed with Vanila Ice cream...Wow...so yummy. My mouth already watering.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Emmm..so delicious, my favourite during fasting month! Remind me of my late Mom, hers is the best so far Ive eaten!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Recipe looks delicious.The color of rice is so nice. Thanks for posting this wonderful and unique recipe.

    cheers
    rani

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sooo irresistible and inviting dessert..

    ReplyDelete
  8. Une recette exotique qui semble délicieuse.
    Je ne connais pas ce riz.
    J'aime beaucoup la réalisation.
    Bonne semaine et à très bientôt.

    ReplyDelete
  9. From a far, it looks like this red bean dessert that we have in Chinese cuisine. Yours looks so delicious! Love the bowl that your sister made.

    ReplyDelete
  10. after looking at this, i'm now craving for it. This is certainly very good..yes, must put in the coconut milk!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have never had this dessert, though I do have black rice in my pantry. This probably is a great time to give this a try. I hope you have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

    ReplyDelete
  12. I miss this traditional dessert. My grandma used to make this for me. My bowl is always the one with the most coconut milk.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Mary,
    Would be great to check whether the ones you are having is Black Rice or Black Glutinous Rice. They are different and would give totally different results! The one that is suitable for this is Black Glutinous Rice. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I first came to know of this delicious rice soup when I was in Penang. I fell in love with it at the first mouthful.....mmmm. I have to cook too. Thanks for reminding.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful sweet, photos and bravo to your sister !!!
    Greetings

    ReplyDelete
  16. A very nutritious and delicious treat! Can't remember when I actually had it...must be ages ago.

    ReplyDelete
  17. One of the reasons I love visiting you are your unique recipes. Wish I could try this!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Your pulut hitam looks delicious with the coconut cream. I also like it with a little red beans mixed in :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sounds and looks scrumptious, with the coconut milk, and I would love to try it! Not sure if I can find black glutinous rice, here, but I will look for it. Have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Never heard about this...I have a lot to learn:)

    Have a nice evening, Barbara

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you for getting back to me about the rice. Blessings...MAry

    ReplyDelete
  22. se ve muy bueno el pulut ,no conzco la semilla, pero se ve rico,una receta bien exótica ,que me encantaría probar,lindo plato,abrazos.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh yum, coconut!! I love rice pudding and coconut, what a great combo. Love this bowl too. You're so lucky to have such a talented sister. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  24. I've never had anything like this but it looks delicious! I am a lover of all things coconut milk!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hello friends, Thank you for stopping by. Pulut Hitam may be something new to most of you, if sweet dessert is one of your favourite, try this if you can find some Black Glutinous Rice. For my overseas Malaysian bloggie friends, make sure you buy some back when you are back in Malaysia next! Have a lovely day, everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  26. completely new to me...sounds very tempting n interesting dear..:D
    Tasty appetite

    ReplyDelete
  27. What a great recipe!!!Really sounds delicious!
    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh my this is wonderful, and pulut Hitam is a new rice for me. Wonderful recipe and I definitely must try :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. P.S. That is a gorgeous bowl your sister painted for you, I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Do you do anything special before putting it in your slow cooker? I've tried this a couple of time, tweaking with water level and amount of rice but it takes me at least 8 hours to look even remotely like yours :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nancy,
      I did not do anything special before that. It all depends on the quality and grade of the pulut hitam, some of may takes hours to soften and some takes shorter time. And if you have noticed, sometimes some cooked pulut hitam may be thicker in consistency due to the higher starch content, depending on the grade. Try soaking the rice in water for a several hours before cooking. Hope this works for you. Thank you for stopping by!

      Delete