This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
Seri Muka Recipe
It’s been a while since I posted Malaysian recipes. Malaysia is a small country and when it comes to a country’s cuisine, there is a limit to the number of recipes available.
Unfortunately Malaysia is not China, which has unlimited list of regional Chinese recipes that will probably take a very long time to cover.
I still cook Malaysian food and my ultimate food love will always be Malaysian food, nothing will ever change that.
However, I have to save some Malaysian recipes for the future, if and when I publish a Malaysian cookbook. So for now, please bear with me with fewer Malaysian recipes on the site.
One of my favorite Malaysian food is the wide array of local sweet cakes or desserts called “kuih” (click the link to view all kuih recipes).
My late grandmother was a legendary kuih maker and I grew up watching her and my late aunt making trays upon trays of different types of kuih.
They were always colorful, dainty, delightful and absolutely delicious.
I have to be honest, it wasn’t until much older than I learned to appreciate my family’s kuih and the sweet cakes from our culture.
Today I have my contributor Siew Loon back with a popular kuih recipe: Seri Muka.
Seri Muka is a Malay and Nyonya kuih made of glutinous rice and pandan leaves.
They are so pretty, with natural green color and cut into small pieces.
More importantly, seri muka is absolutely delightful—sweet, laden with coconut milk, with a nice sticky texture.
They go extremely well with a cup of coffee in the morning, or as an afternoon snack.
Siew Loon learned this seri muka recipe from her friend Helen, who selflessly taught her to make this ever tasty sweet cake.
It takes about an hour to make seri muka but the end result is rewarding.
If you love kuih, you have to try this easy and amazing recipe.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 115 calories per piece.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
Serve this dish with a cup of coffee or tea. For a Malaysian or Nyonya-themed afternoon tea, I recommend the following recipes.
For more great recipes like this, sign up for our newsletter. We’ll send daily recipes you’ll love!
Sign up for our newsletter!
Seri Muka
Ingredients
For Bottom Layer:
- 300 g glutinous rice (soak for 30 minutes in water)
- 200 ml thin coconut milk (100 ml coconut milk plus 100 ml water)
- 2 pandan leaves (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For Top Layer:
- 200 ml thick coconut milk or coconut cream
- 2 large eggs (plus 2 egg yolks)
- 170 g sugar
- 100 ml pandan juice (from 8-10 pandan leaves)
- 5 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the bottom layer and steam on high heat for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the top layer. Mix the eggs, coconut milk, sugar, pandan juice and flour together. Stir until smooth. Cook over boiling water (using double boil method) until the mixture thickens slightly, but still runny enough to pour.
- After 20 minutes, take out the glutinous rice mixture, stir and flatten it with a spoon or hands. Make sure it is compact. Use a sieve to pour the egg mixture onto the rice mixture.
- Steam on medium heat for 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting the Seri Muka into diamond-shaped or rectangle-shaped pieces.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Very good!
Hi, how much water do I need to soak rice overnight and can I use a rice cooker?
Thank you,
As long as the water is above the rice level.
What kind of steamer should I use?
Any steamer you can use to steam food.
Egg substitute?
No substitute for eggs.
We substituted 1 tbsp of cornflour for every egg for our daughter with allergies. It turned out ok, probably not as good as it would be with eggs though!
Hi Bee, thanks for this simple yet delicious recipe! I tried making the kueh for the first time. Always had difficulties buying the right ones. I reduced the amount of sugar as one review suggested and it was sweet enough. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Awesome!