Bubur Pulut Hitam Recipe: Make This Bowl of Sweetness Yourself

Image credit: new malaysian kitchen

Bubur pulut hitam—the ambrosia to the gods, the sweet bowl of goodness that tastes like home. This popular Southeast Asian dessert is basically rice porridge but in dessert form! Asians love their rice porridge. 

Also known as bubur ketan or black sticky rice, bubur pulut hitam is made of black glutinous rice and coconut milk. The unpolished black glutinous rice gives this creamy dessert its natural dark purple appearance. It is also said to be more nutritious than white rice, with higher fibre content and antioxidants. 

Gula Melaka (palm sugar) is typically used to sweeten this dessert, but you can also use rock sugar or caster sugar according to your sweet tooth desires. Making this delicious bowl of sweetness at home is not difficult, and you can even cook it in a rice cooker or pressure cooker. 

Here’s an easy recipe for you to follow!

Bubur Pulut Hitam Recipe

Recipe by SunnyDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• 1 cup of black glutinous rice (182g)

• 5 cups of water

• 1 small block of Gula Melaka

• 3/4 cups of coconut milk

• 1/4 tsp of salt

• 4 knots of pandan leaves

• 1/2 tbsp of cornflour (optional)

Directions

• (Optional) If you wish to lessen the cooking time, you can soak the black glutinous rice overnight or 4 hours before cooking time.
• Check the rice for impurities and wash thoroughly. Don’t worry; the purple water is entirely normal.
• Add the black glutinous rice, water, pandan leaves, sugar and salt into the cooker and boil it at high heat.
• Once it starts to boil, bring it to a simmer for about 40 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent it from sticking to the pot. Add more water if it’s too dry.
• Cook until the rice puffs up and the porridge is of thick consistency.
• (optional) Thicken it with a corn starch slurry towards the end by mixing the cornflour with some water.
• Serve warm or chilled with a drizzle of coconut milk.

Some tips:

• Look for Malaysian palm sugar instead of Thai palm sugar. The latter has a lighter colour and is milder in flavour. 
• Serve with a side of coconut milk for guests to add as much as they want themselves. 
• Refrigerate the remaining servings and enjoy it chilled the next day!

Lay off the usual ice cream or pudding, and surprise your guests with a velvety bowl of bubur pulut hitam. Yummy in your tummy!

Visit Lokataste Recipes for more mouthwatering Malaysian recipes.