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Seri Muka is an amazing Malaysian kuih (sweet cake) made of glutinous rice, coconut milk, sugar and pandan leaves. Seri Muka is a dainty and yummy dessert.
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.
Looking for more Nyonya kuih recipes? Check out my Kuih Dadar (Kuih Ketayap) recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 115 calories per piece.
What To Serve With Seri Muka
Serve this dish with a cup of coffee or tea. For a Malaysian or Nyonya-themed afternoon tea, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
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 cornstarch
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the bottom layer and steam on high heat for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the top layer by mixing the eggs, coconut milk, sugar, pandan juice, and flour together. Stir until smooth. Cook over boiling water using the double boiler method until the mixture thickens slightly but remains runny enough to pour.
- After 20 minutes, take out the glutinous rice mixture, stir it, and flatten it with a spoon or your hands to ensure it is compact. Use a sieve to pour the egg mixture over the rice mixture.
- Steam on medium heat for 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting the Seri Muka into diamond-shaped or rectangular pieces
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have tried the Seri Muka and it tasted perfect, except that when i steam after putting the pandan topping – I can’t managed to get a very smooth surface. Please advise.
I loved seri muka very much. Yours look so beautiful, and cut perfectly.
Whats the most suitable pan size to use? Thank you.
8 inch x 8 inch
I don’t really fancy glutinous rice so I intend to make the top layer only (I love the pandan aroma). Do you think it will stay fresh if I refrigerate it up to 1 week and serve it cold?
The custard does not hold in the refrigerator very well for over 48 hours. Make it a couple of days or evenings before the day you want to serve it. Can use dainty porcelain cups that holds up with steaming to serve so don’t have to handle the custard too much. Keeps better too if you have refrigerator space for the individual cups. If tray for cutting into dainty bitesize diamond shapes, cool completely before covering it well with plastic wrap to seal in the aroma and flavor and keep out other refrigerator odors. Beware. Condensation will form so very carefully remove the wrap later in order to cut the custard.
Hi Bee,
What size pan should I use for assembling the final kuay for steaming to make the thickness not too thick and not too thin? 8 x 8 square or bigger? Thanks.
It`s soooooo beautiful!!!
Your site is not user friendly. It is very difficult to get any recipes from your site. When I click on the link for the recipe, it takes you to somewhere else unrelated. I must have tried umpteem times and kept returning to the same thing. Could you please tell me how to get the recipe for Seri-Muka or even any recipe that is posted.I am a registered member and never have once succeeded in opening a recipe posted.
At the bottom of the page, there is a red button and the link that says RECIPE HERE and the link. Click on that link and all recipes are there.
Your kuih is so pretty! I like pandan coconut flavored desserts and this one looks so nice. My roommate is from Malaysia and I’m thinking of trying this and some of your other Malaysian recipes to bring him a taste of home
Hi Bee,
What is the size of the container that was used to contain the mixture for steaming?
How do u extract the pandanus Essence?
Blend it with some water and squeeze the juice.
Rasa Malaysia, I’m not gonna be able to find or have Pandan spine where I live. Is it for flavor or just for green color? Can I just use green color instead of using Pandan? Thank you!
It’s the flavor and aroma from the leaves that make it so good.
Now available in the UK at
http://www.malaysianfoodsupermarket.uk/
Sorry not to get this, but how exactly do I get the pandan juice? Do I put the 8-10 leaves in an actual electric blender with some water and then use the entire thing after it is blended? Do I have to sieve it?
Yes you need to sieve it just extract the juice.