Kueh Seri Muka

It has been a long time since I've tried my hand at the art of "kueh making" I decided to have at it once more. This time I wanted to try Kueh Salat... being that this was one of my mom's favorite treats when she lived in Singapore. Sadly it's very hard to buy it here in BC... but lucky for her, I am here to steam up this lovely kueh for her :)

Okay, so the truth is that I'm very cheap and didn't actually have enough eggs to make the Salat's kaya layer... so I turned to another kueh very close to Salat that used fewer eggs. Here is the recipe for my Kueh Seri Muka

Kueh Seri Muka

Ingredients:

Rice Layer
- 2 1/2 cups uncooked glutinous rice
- 200ml thick coconut milk with 100ml water added
- 2 tbsp pandan juice (if you don't have it, use the essence)
- pinch of salt

"Kaya" Layer
- 1 egg
- 100ml coconut milk
- 1/4 cup castor sugar
- 1/4 tsp pandan paste
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp rice flour

Method:
Rice Layer
1. Soak rice for 2-3 hours, or overnight. Drain
2. Steam the rice with the pandan juice and a pinch of salt for 15-20 mins, or until tender.
3. Remove from heat and add in coconut milk. Mix well with a wooden utensil.
4. Steam mixture for another 10 mins.
5. Line an 8-inch round pan with banana leaves/ greased paper; place steamed rice in the pan and press firmly with a banana leaf on top to compact.
6. Steam the rice for 5 mins.

NOTE: The bottom layer must be hot when the top layer is poured in.

Method:
"Kaya" Layer
1. Beat egg lightly and mix in the rice flour, until mixture is smooth.
2. In a pan cook coconut milk, pandan paste and sugar over low heat. Continue to stir and add in egg mixture. Allow mixture to thicken.
3. Pour the "Kaya" mixture over the steamed glutinous rice in the steamer slowly. Steam for 15-20 mins or until set.
4. Cool the kueh completely before cutting.

My mom was so excited to try out my version of Kueh Seri Muka. She said that it tasted very similar to the traditional kinds steamed in Singapore! Hooray for me :) I was happy that my mom enjoyed it and she was happy that I made it... what a perfect duo!