INGREDIENTS
400g glutinous rice
15 butterfly pea flowers (bunga telang)
1 ½ tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice
200ml coconut milk
¾ tsp salt
3 – 5 pandan leaves (screw-pine leaves)
DIRECTIONS
Wash and pound the flowers and mix with water. Strain to extract the colouring and set aside.
Wash the glutinous rice. Then soak 1/3 of glutinous rice with the blue colouring extract and the balance of the rice with water. Add ½ tablespoon of vinegar to the blue colored rice and stir well. Add another 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the balance of rice and stir well. Soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.
The rice should now be stained with blue color. Drain both glutinous rice.
Prepare the steamer and line the steaming tray with banana leaves, then lightly grease with oil. Place pandan leave in the tray.
Place both glutinous rice into the lined steaming tray. Mix coconut milk with salt. Pour ½ the coconut mixture over the rice and mix well. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes.
Remove from steamer and fluff the rice with a pair of chopstick. Discard the pandan leaves.
Then add the balance of coconut milk mixture. Return it to the steamer for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Line the 7 X 7 inch square pan with banana leave and lightly grease with oil. Transfer the cooked rice to the pan, alternating the blue portion with white. Mix well.
Level the surface and press down the rice with a banana leaf. Cover the top of the rice with a banana leaf and place a heavy object on it to compress the rice.
Allow it to cool before cutting into pieces. Serve with kaya.
Additional notes:
Soaking glutinous rice with addition of vinegar or lemon juice will reduce the phytic acid found in the grain and also helps to break down gluten and better absorption of blue colour. Phytic acid which inhibit the absorption of other important nutrients like calcium, iron, magnesium and etc.
(Source: Bake With Paws)
