Sweet Potato Seri Muka （甜薯糯米糕）

If you enjoy Seri Muka or sticky rice cakes made from sweet potatoes. Your new favourite dessert will be this one. In this vegan version, sweet potato takes the place of the traditional Nyonya Kuih Seri Muka's egg-based top layer. Unlike traditional rice cakes, this delectable sticky rice cake is unique. The recipe has a potato filling in the centre and is low in sugar.

In this version, sweet potatoes were used for their rich flavour and natural colour. It tastes fantastic as well, filling your tongue with the best of the earthy sweet potato flavour and the creamy coconut flavour. Three flavours can be tasted in one bite.

I'm making the custard layer and layer filling from two different kinds of sweet potatoes. Which are purple and orange sweet potatoes.  As you are aware, the traditional kuih seri muka dessert consists of two layers, the bottom layer is steamed glutinous rice, and the upper layer is custard prepared with pandan juice (the green colour topping).

With these two varieties of potatoes, how would the liquid component be made? You might say that since they are both sweet potatoes, the process must be the same. I thought so too at first, but it ended up being the reverse! Yes, both are sweet potatoes. However, while orange sweet potatoes will appear cloudy after being cooked in water, purple sweet potatoes will appear naturally purple. To make the orange custard, I must finally puree the orange sweet potatoes with the coconut milk and flour mixture. I am  using a hand blender to puree the orange sweet potatoes. You can use a fruit blender to puree it, but you'll need to add some water to make the process go more smoothly. 

I am lining my baking pan with aluminium foil.  One of the finest ways to make sure food will come out of a pan particularly when the food has sticky texture. You can use a good non-stick pan or grease your pan or line it with banana leaves.

You can store this rice pudding in the refrigerator for up to two or three days. Bring the rice cake to room temperature before steaming it for about 4 minutes to warm it. Served hot!

Let us get all the ingredients to hand and the detailed instruction to make a delicious sweet potato Seri Muka.

INGREDIENTS

Bottom layer

600g glutinous rice 

300ml coconut milk

340ml water

1 tsp salt

 

Purple custard topping

300g purple sweet potato

450ml water

200ml cooked purple sweet potato water

100ml coconut milk

70g rice flour

30g tapioca flour

50g castor sugar

½ tsp salt

 

Orange custard topping

500g orange sweet potato

50g castor sugar

165ml coconut milk

70ml water

35g rice flour

35g tapioca flour

½ tsp salt

 

 

METHODS

1. Washed and soaked the glutinous rice for 3 hours

2. Mixed all the ingredients for the bottom layer and steamed for 30 minutes at high heat.

3. To make the rice cake easier to remove, line the two of 24cm x 13cm x 7cm baking pan with aluminium foil. 

4. Divided the cooked glutinous rice into 4 parts, about 350g for each part.

5. Cut the purple sweet potatoes into small pieces, cooked in a pot together with 450ml water. Cook with low heat until cooked. Strained out and reserved 200ml of the cooked purple sweet potato water. Mixed the sugar with the softened purple potatoes and mashed into paste. Divided the paste into two equal portions.

6. Cut the orange sweet potatoes into small pieces, steamed until it soft enough to mash with a fork. Reserve 100g of mashed orange sweet potatoes to be puree with the rest of the topping ingredients. Mixed the sugar with the remaining orange mash potatoes, divided into two equal portions as well.

7. Place in one portion cooked glutinous rice into the baking pan, flatten it evenly. Spread evenly the first portion of purple mashed potatoes on top of the cooked glutinous rice. Followed by a second portion of alternating glutinous rice and purple mashed sweet potatoes.

8. Repeat the step (6) and (7) for the orange sweet potatoes.

9. For the purple sweet potato topping. Mixed the coconut milk, rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour in the reserved 200ml cooked purple sweet potatoes water at step (5) into the flour mixture, mix and stir until smooth, filtered the mixture and placed over a saucepan of simmering water (double boil method) and cook at LOW heat, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes slightly stick but still runny enough to pour.

10. Pour the purple sweet potato custard on top of the glutinous rice.

11. For the orange sweet potato topping. Puree the reserved 100g of orange mash potatoes with coconut milk, rice flour, salt, and water. Filtered the mixture and placed over a saucepan of simmering water and cook at low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes slightly stick but still runny enough to pour.

12. Placed both flavour of potato glutinous cake into a steamer, cover the rice cake with aluminum foil and poke some holes on top of the foil which helps to prevent water  condensation from dropping onto the surface, causing an uneven appearance. Steamed the rice cake on medium low heat for 40 minutes or until cooked.

13. Remove the rice cake, set it aside to cool thoroughly, and the custard set. I prefer to keep it into the refrigerator and cut it the next day. 

14. Cut the rice cake into pieces with a plastic dough cutter. ENJOY!!

Hope you find this guide useful and enjoy these steamed sweet potato Seri Muka to the fullest!!