PULOT HITAM LONGAN

Serves 8–10

The Peranakans love sweet snacks and desserts and this dish of glutinous rice porridge flavoured with pandan leaves and sweetened with palm sugar and dried longans is one of my favourites. While some versions of this recipe use only black glutinous rice, I add some white glutinous rice to give the dessert a smoother texture.

Black glutinous rice 300 g (11 oz), washed
and soaked for at least 2 hours

White glutinous rice 50 g (1⅔ oz), washed
and soaked for at least 1 hour

Dried longan 75 g (2⅔ oz)
Water 1.2 litres (40 fl oz / 5 cups)
Pandan leaves 8–10
Salt ¼ tsp
Coconut milk 250 ml (8 fl oz / 1 cup)

Syrup

Palm sugar (gula melaka) 150 g (5⅓ oz),
chopped

Rock sugar 100 g (3½ oz)
Water 150 ml (5 fl oz)

1.   Place ingredients for syrup in a small pot and bring to the boil, stirring until sugar
is dissolved. Strain and set aside.

2.   Drain black and white glutinous rice and place in a pot with dried longan, water,
pandan leaves and salt. Bring to the boil, then lower heat and simmer until rice
is almost cooked.

3.   Add syrup and continue to simmer until rice is fully cooked and mixture is lightly
thickened. Remove from heat.

4.   To serve, ladle into individual serving bowls and drizzle with coconut milk
according to taste.

NOTE

•   Pulot hitam is traditionally served with coconut milk, but you can also serve it with
a scoop of coconut ice cream. Vanilla ice cream makes a good substitute if coconut
ice cream is not available.

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PERANAKAN HERITAGE

Cooking