Kuih Seri Muka

Pandan flavoured 'kuih seri muka' is made up of glutinous rice and creamy custard using coconut milk as the key ingredient. It is one of the more popular 'kuih' (sweet dessert) in Malaysia and is great for breakfast and tea time.

4.75 stars

Preparation 60 mins
Cooking 90 mins

Dessert

Kuih Salat, Steamed Glutinous Rice Cake with Pandan Custard, Kuih Seri Kaya

Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesian, Bruneian

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Nutrition per Serving

171 kcal
26 g
6 g
3 g


This Malaysian layered cake has been requested numerous times by our viewers. The recipe is pretty simple but I decided to label the difficulty level of this recipe as “average” as there are a few steps which need to be taken into account that could make or break the perfection of “kuih seri muka”.

First of all, let's get to the basic. The word seri means glow or radiance and muka means face. 'Kuih' generally has fancy names. It does make me wonder how the name 'glowing face' came about. Weird as it may sound but have trust in the big group of viewers who had requested the recipe. They know how amazingly delicious this kuih is. For your information, if you have any recipe request, submit yours today.

This dessert or kuih is made up of two layers. The bottom layer is made up of glutinous rice steamed together with coconut milk. The top green layer is made up of sweet pandan flavoured custard cooked with coconut milk which makes it creamy. Both of these layers make this kuih stands out among the myriad of kuih available in Malaysia. As usual, pandan extract gives natural colouring to the kuih.

Within the Peranakan community, kuih seri muka is made slightly different as the glutinous rice is randomly coloured using butterfly pea flower. This is an option if you want the kuih to be more vibrant. Soak about 15 dried butterfly pea flowers in warm water for 15 minutes and then use the coloured water to soak one third of the glutinous rice. This process is very similar to the recipe I created for Pulut Tai Tai.

During the initial experiment, I had several issues trying to come up with the perfect kuih seri muka. The layers did not stick together and became a complete disaster! The pandan custard was overcooked which made it clumpy and uneven. However, it was still edible but the kuih has to live up to its name by maintaining its glowing face and not look unpresentable! Therefore, I will share the tips here with you on achieving the best results for this beautiful 'kuih'.

Rice must be pressed

When compacting the glutinous rice to create the bottom layer, do ensure that enough pressure is applied to prevent it from falling apart when it is cut. Once the rice is compacted, concentrate on getting the second layer right.

Create a smooth pandan layer

It is important to tap the cake mould a few times on the kitchen top to ensure that the batter is distributed evenly and to release any air bubbles. Cook the custard mixture at low heat. When cooked at extremely high heat, bubbles may appear due to the difference of temperature within the custard batter and the steam resulting in an uneven layer. The custard batter is supposed to slowly cook during the steaming process.

Patience is the key here. I learned the hard way. Do not repeat my mistake or you will end up in disappointment. As mentioned in the video, you have to avoid having water droplets fall onto the surface of the kuih in order to achieve a smooth surface. Wrap the cover of the pan with a clean kitchen towel or cover the tray with aluminum foil during the steaming process. That would prevent an uneven surface.

To check if the kuih is cooked, poke a toothpick into the custard layer. If it comes off clean, then it is ready.

Kuih seri muka must cool to room temperature

Allow the kuih seri muka to cool to room temperature before cutting. Clean knife with a wet kitchen towel or use a plastic knife for a smooth cut. This kuih can be kept for up to 24 hours if not refrigerated. Refrigerating it makes cutting easier. However, it will cause the layer of glutinous rice to harden. Therefore, wrap the tray with cling wrap to prevent the glutinous rice from drying up.

If kept refrigerated, the kuih can be stored for 3 to 5 days. To sum this up, patience and caution is exercised in every step. I can assure you then that you will be beaming with pride at the perfect outcome of the kuih if the steps and precautions are adhered. All said and done, do not forget to share a photo of the kuih on this site. We look forward to seeing it.


Ingredients

Servings:  
400 g
glutinous rice
100 ml
coconut milk
9
pandan leaves
3 tbsp
water
70 ml
water
150 g
sugar
400 g
coconut milk
5 g
corn starch
40 g
rice flour
4
egg(s)

Steps to Prepare

Kuih Seri Muka Step 1

Step 1 of 5

    • 400 g glutinous rice
    • 100 ml coconut milk
    • 1 pandan leaves
    • 3 tbsp water

Soak glutinous rice for at least 4 hours. Mix coconut milk and water with soaked glutinous rice. Place a knotted pandan leaf on the glutinous rice and steam for 40 minutes or until cooked.

Kuih Seri Muka Step 2

Step 2 of 5

    • 8 pandan leaves
    • 70 ml water
    • 150 g sugar
    • 400 g coconut milk
    • 5 g corn starch
    • 40 g rice flour
    • 4 egg(s)

Prepare pandan leaves extract by blending pandan leaves with water. In another bowl, mix pandan leaves extract along with sugar, coconut milk, corn flour, rice flour and eggs.

Kuih Seri Muka Step 3

Step 3 of 5

Stir mixture in a pot over low heat until it turns semi-solid. Remove pot from stove and mix thoroughly.

Kuih Seri Muka Step 4

Step 4 of 5

Once glutinous rice is cooked, transfer to an oiled cake pan. Compact glutinous rice to prevent it from falling apart.

Kuih Seri Muka Step 5

Step 5 of 5

Pour cooked pandan mixture onto compacted glutinous rice. Steam for about 50 minutes to an hour. Allow kuih seri muka to cool to room temperature before cutting into smaller pieces. It can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container or wrapped in cling wrap for 3 to 5 days.

Published: July 10, 2017


8 Discussions

Esther Wong
2 years ago

Esther Wong

Hi, just wonder if i can use frozen pandan leaves to make this? or pandan essence?

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
2 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

Hello Esther! You can use frozen pandan leaves or pandan essence. When using the essence, you may want to start with 3/4 teaspoon or follow the instructions.

Esther Wong
2 years ago

Esther Wong

Thanks a lot Mira. If i am going to use 3/4 teaspoon pandan essense, then it will be the same amount of water (70 ml according to your recipes) that i need to mix?

Grace
2 years ago

Grace

Oh yes! You need to mix the water and essence to make up 70ml. Add more essence if it's not sufficient ;) Have fun!

Mia
3 years ago

Mia

I love making this recipe! I’ve made it a handful of times and it’s always delicious. The only issue I have is, the pandan custard layer is always really wet and not firm- even when I cook it for longer in the pan. Any help would be much appreciated

Grace
3 years ago

Grace

Why not reduce the water by 10-20g? Add more if you find that it thickens too quickly. Let us know if this works.

Pearl Krueger
3 years ago

Pearl Krueger

I can’t find corn flour anywhere. Everything has masa in it. What can I use to substitute instead? Can I use all purpose flour or rice flour or corn meal?

Grace
3 years ago

Grace

In the US, it is marketed as cornstarch. You should be able to find it in Costco or Walmart. Otherwise, tapioca starch could work.

ayu
4 years ago

ayu

May i know the size of the pan to make this? Thank u

Grace
3 years ago

Grace

It's a square pan, ca. 18-20cm. Sorry, I don't have this pan anymore...

Noora
4 years ago

Noora

I can’t get fresh pandan leaves at the moment... but I have the koepoe pandan paste. Just wondering how much of that I should use instead?

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
4 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

I don't know the brand. Usually 1/2 to 1 tsp should be sufficient. It's best to add pandan paste to the water and judge by the colour/smell.

Joy
4 years ago

Joy

The rice was the easy part. But the Pandan layer - I stirred slowly and then suddenly there were a few small bubbles and thickened. Poured onto the rice and it cooked fine covered. The result was no cracks but the Pandan layer was abit wet and couldn’t really stick to the rice😭😭😭 tastes good tho

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
4 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

Kuih making can be really tricky! Cook Pandan mixture at lower heat and steam the kuih a little longer next time. Give it another go. Practice makes perfect.

Wan Zafirah
4 years ago

Wan Zafirah

Can we substitute the rice flour and use plain flour instead?

Grace
4 years ago

Grace

Unfortunately not, the texture will be very different.....

Wan Zafirah
4 years ago

Wan Zafirah

I see. Ok thank u Grace! I admire u so much ☺️

Robin
4 years ago

Robin

I had always wanted to make this. It really doesn't matter where I live, in Malaysia or in Australia; not easy to get kuih seri muka. Let's see how it is going to turn out. Thank you Nyonya Cooking for this awesome recipe and tips!

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
4 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

It is a little tricky. Good luck!

Robin
4 years ago

Robin

Most true. Tricky with the bottom glutinous layer, and tricky on the top pandan custard layer, but I some how made it true.

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