Jaje kukus Bali – A sweet treat for special days

Jaje kukus Bali is one of my favourite sweet treats from Bali. I have fond memories of being given it as a snack with coffee while taking a break from playing gamelan music at temple ceremonies. Jaje kukus is commonly served at weddings, temple ceremonies, and sometimes just as a special treat with a cup of coffee in the morning or afternoon. Even if there’s no special occasion, it’s still easy to find jaje kukus with the other jajanan pasar at the markets in Bali.

This recipe makes enough for six small servings and works really well as a snack with coffee or a delicious dessert.

Ingredients:
225g black glutinous rice
85g desiccated coconut
55g palm sugar (more if you have a sweet tooth)
a 5cm-long strip of pandan leaf
1 1/2 cups of water
1/2tsp salt

Instructions:
1. Clean the black glutinous rice and soak it for 8 hours.
2. While the rice is soaking, we can make the ‘unti’ (topping). Heat a cup and a half of water in a saucepan and add the pandan leaf, palm sugar and salt, then simmer until the palm sugar and salt are dissolved in the water. Once they are dissolved, add the desiccated coconut and simmer while stirring until all the water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and cool.
3. Once the rice has finished soaking, put it in a steamer and steam until cooked. The rice should be sticky but not too soft; when it reaches this stage, remove from the heat and leave to cool.
4. To serve, place a couple of table spoons of the black rice in a small bowl and add about half that amount of the unti (topping) on top.