ScarlettSticky Black Rice Pudding
May 15th 2008 13:06
Sticky Black Rice Pudding
About Sticky Black Rice Pudding
Coconut cream and black Oriental rice transform a traditional family pudding into a sophisticated, fragrant delight.
About Glutinous Black rice
Glutinous black rice, while unknown in some Asian countries, this sticky rice is very popular in others, among them Brunei, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Sometimes identified in specialty food stores as “Indonesian black rice,” black glutinous or sweet rice is a nutty whole grain widely consumed in many of the Indonesian islands. In most Asian countries, white glutinous rice is more widely used, but the long, black grains have an earthy appeal all their own, firstly because of their unusual appearance, and secondly because they combine very well with sugar and a few simple flavours such as pandan leaves, coconut milk, and be transformed into a sweet snack, a delicious dessert, or a main meal by itself as practiced in most Asian countries.
Black glutinous rice is natural rice with grains that are unevenly coloured and look like wild rice when dry. Its rich, nutty flavour is distinctly different from the more subtle delicateness of white glutinous rice.
About Palm sugar
Palm sugar was originally made from the sugary sap of the Palmyra palm or the date palm. Now it is also made from the sap of the sago and coconut palms and may be sold as “coconut sugar”. The sugar is a golden brown paste, sold in tubes, blocks or tin cans. It may be light-coloured or dark, soft and gooey or hard. As a lightly-processed product of cottage industry, it varies greatly from batch to batch.
In Thai cuisine, palm and “coconut sugar” are used interchangeably. However, it may be an important distinction for those concerned with frugivory that “coconut sugar” is in no way derived from the coconut fruit itself. Quoted in the linked thaifoodandtravel.com page below is the following clarification:
“Although the names are used interchangeably, palm sugar and coconut sugar are not the same. One comes from the palmyra or sugar palm and the other from coconut palm, but both are produced from the sweet, watery sap that drips from cut flower buds.”
In Indonesia, sugar made from the Borassus (Palmyra palm) is known as Gula Jawa (“Javanese sugar”) or gula merah (red sugar) and it is used in Javanese cuisine.
The Tamils of South India have two varieties of Palmyra sugar. One is unrefined and is in the form of hard blocks of dark brown sugar. This known as Karyppatti. This is used as a sweetener for making certain types of cakes and biscuits. The other is refined and is available as granules of crystalline sugar. This is known as Panam KaRkaNdu. This has medicinal value. It has the power to liquify phlegm from the lungs. It is also profusely used in treatment of sore throat when dissolved in boiled concentrated milk. Musicians use it on a regular basis in combination with other medicinal spices and herbs.
Palm sugar is often used to sweeten savoury food to balance out the salty flavour of fish. Its primary use in Thai cuisine is in sweets and desserts, and somewhat less often in curries and sauces.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
250 gm / 9 oz glutinous black rice
750 ml / 1 pint 7 fl oz skimmed milk
3 - 4 tablespoons palm sugar, soft light brown sugar or clear honey
90 ml / 3 fl oz coconut cream
1 lime, grated zest
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon orange flower water, optinal
To serve
slices of ripe mango, optional
1. Place the rice in a sieve and rinse well under cold running water.
2. Put the rice into a large, heavy-based saucepan, add the milk and bring the mixture to the boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
4. Add the sugar or honey to the rice, stir until it has dissolved and continue simmering, uncovered, for 55 minutes, or until the rice is almost soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed. From time to time, stir in the skin that forms on the top.
5. Stir in the coconut cream, lime zest and juice and the orange flower water, if using.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes.
7. Serve warm, or chill it for 1 hour and serve cold, with mango slices, if liked.
Tips:
Glutinous black rice, which produces dishes with a wonderful dark purple, almost black colour, is sold in Oriental food shops.
**From “Low Fat No Fat Cookbook”, “lafang.mikemina.com/index.ph p/2006/06/26/bubur-pulut-hita m-black-glutinous-rice-porrid ge” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” **
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