Kueh Wajek

Steamed Glutinous Rice drenched in Gula Melaka Syrup

Sometimes, my mother made this kueh wajek and would serve this with mashed durian.
It is not easy to make as it seems, judging from the simplistic recipe found in many
cookbooks. The sticky rice does not stay moist for long, made all the more difficult when
the thick sugary syrup begins to harden like toffee. This is tricky and some people in the
past were supposedly resigned to chewing the grainy rice and spitting it out. I have tried to
modify the recipe so that you get the best chances of keeping this kueh as moist as you can.

makes 12 servings

600 g or 1 pound 5 ounces glutinous
rice (pulot)

1¾ cups coconut milk
90 g or 3 ounces gula melaka, scraped

230 g or 8 ounces sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
Corn or vegetable oil for brushing tin

1.    Rinse rice in water three times. Place rice in a pot
and cover with water at least 2.5 cm or 1 inch above the
level of the rice. Soak for at least 3 hours, preferably
overnight. Drain.

2.    Spread the rice in a bamboo basket (the type used
for steaming dimsum) lined with cloth. This allows the
rice grains to cook evenly—glutinous rice sticks together,
which may result in some grains remaining uncooked.
Alternatively, place cloth in a metal cake tin (but that
requires that you turn the rice a couple of times during
the steaming process). Place a metal stand in a large or
Dutch oven pot. Fill the pot with cold water, almost up to
the height of the stand. Bring to a gentle boil to create a
steamer. Place the tin of rice on the stand and steam the
rice for an hour.

3.    Meanwhile, pour coconut milk into a saucepan and
place on low heat. Add gula melaka to coconut milk, along
with sugar and salt. Add knotted pandan leaves. Stir
occasionally to ensure the sugars dissolve in the coconut
milk to form a thick and brown syrup. Remove from heat
and let cool. Discard pandan leaves.

4.    Check on rice—it should look translucent when cooked.
Transfer the rice to a metal tin 20 by 20 cm or 8 by 8 inches
that has been brushed with oil. Use a spoon to stir syrup

into the rice. Mix well, ensuring rice is drenched in syrup.
Continue to steam rice until mixture becomes thick and
moist. Then, press the rice down in the tin to form a layer
about 4 cm or 1½ inches thick. Cover tightly with plastic
wrap pressed down on rice. Allow to cool. Best to store
in an airtight container. If the rice hardens, steam briefly
before serving.

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