Putu Piring, a traditional rice cake dessert with palm sugar filling from Malaysia
Putu Piring, a traditional rice cake dessert with palm sugar filling from Malaysia
by foodsamaritan
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foodsamaritan
**Putu Piring** is a traditional dessert that is closely related to Malaysia. It is basically a steamed rice cake, filled with palm sugar on the inside, and garnished with grated coconut.
Putu Piring is said to be the Malay adaptation of South Indian’s Putu Mayam. The name of Putu Piring came from its ingredient and shape. ‘Putu’ comes from the Tamil language that refers to food made from flour or rice. The word ‘Piring’ is a Malay word for the saucer or tiny plate, which refers to the shape of this dessert.
Traditionally, Putu Piring was formed without using a mould. Instead, it was manually shaped by pressing the mixture in between both hands before steaming. Nowadays, it is often made with a round metal mould.
The process of making Putu Piring is quite meticulous yet straightforward. Ground rice flour is first pre-toasted on a skillet or pan until it releases some aroma. It is then mixed with some oil and some salted water, flavoured with pandanus leaves (sometimes lemongrass or vanilla essence is used too). This step turns the rice flour crumbly and mouldable. Next, the rice flour mixture is sieved and tightly packed onto a round mould. Some chopped up palm sugar is then added to the center of the rice cake as filling. Then, some more rice flour mixture is added in to cover up the palm sugar. The rice cake at this stage is ready to be steamed, either together with the mould, or taken out from the mould first.
Once steamed, the Putu Piring becomes delicate, soft and moist. It is often placed on a banana leaf and garnished with freshly grated coconut before serving. Putu Piring is enjoyed during tea time or as a snack. It can be easily found at roadside stalls, Ramadhan bazaar and night markets, usually freshly made on the spot by the vendors.
Putu Piring and desserts made using similar techniques are also quite popular in other Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. They might have a slightly different recipes and be called different names like Putu Mangkok, Kueh Tutu, or Kue Putu Ayu.
1 Comment
**Putu Piring** is a traditional dessert that is closely related to Malaysia. It is basically a steamed rice cake, filled with palm sugar on the inside, and garnished with grated coconut.
Putu Piring is said to be the Malay adaptation of South Indian’s Putu Mayam. The name of Putu Piring came from its ingredient and shape. ‘Putu’ comes from the Tamil language that refers to food made from flour or rice. The word ‘Piring’ is a Malay word for the saucer or tiny plate, which refers to the shape of this dessert.
Traditionally, Putu Piring was formed without using a mould. Instead, it was manually shaped by pressing the mixture in between both hands before steaming. Nowadays, it is often made with a round metal mould.
The process of making Putu Piring is quite meticulous yet straightforward. Ground rice flour is first pre-toasted on a skillet or pan until it releases some aroma. It is then mixed with some oil and some salted water, flavoured with pandanus leaves (sometimes lemongrass or vanilla essence is used too). This step turns the rice flour crumbly and mouldable. Next, the rice flour mixture is sieved and tightly packed onto a round mould. Some chopped up palm sugar is then added to the center of the rice cake as filling. Then, some more rice flour mixture is added in to cover up the palm sugar. The rice cake at this stage is ready to be steamed, either together with the mould, or taken out from the mould first.
Once steamed, the Putu Piring becomes delicate, soft and moist. It is often placed on a banana leaf and garnished with freshly grated coconut before serving. Putu Piring is enjoyed during tea time or as a snack. It can be easily found at roadside stalls, Ramadhan bazaar and night markets, usually freshly made on the spot by the vendors.
Putu Piring and desserts made using similar techniques are also quite popular in other Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. They might have a slightly different recipes and be called different names like Putu Mangkok, Kueh Tutu, or Kue Putu Ayu.