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Pressed sticky rice cake is layered with sweet, creamy, and eggless pumpkin custard. The recipe is dairy-free.
Pumpkin season is finally here and it’s one of my favorites! I love making dessert, cakes, breads, and cooking with pumpkin 🙂 A traditional kuih serimuka usually has the pandan custard on top, but I’ve seen so many varieties made with different type of custard. Pumpkin is one of them. The natural vibrant color is beautiful too!
What types of pumpkin to use
You can use kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), sugar pumpkin/pie pumpkin, baby Pam, Autumn gold, Lumina, Cinderella, Fairy Tale pumpkins can be used. You can also use canned pumpkin. I used Libby’s canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix). You may end up with different hue of orange because the colors also depend on the variety of pumpkins.
How to make eggless pumpkin kuih serimuka
1. Put dried blue pea flowers and water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and then turn off the heat. Let them steep for 10 minutes. Strain out the juice
2. If you plan to cook the rice on the stove, soak them for at least 4 hours, you can see the step-by-step photo here. I use a pressure cooker, so I can skip the soaking part. Place all the ingredients for the rice in a pan that is at least 3-inch height and can fit in your instant pot. Stir to mix and make sure the rice is covered by liquid. Pour 1 cup of water into the inner pot of the instant pot. Put a trivet in and place the pan with rice on top. Close the lid. Turn the steam release valve to “sealing”. Press “pressure cooker” and make sure it’s on “high pressure”. Set timer to 30 minutes. Wait 10 minutes and then fully release pressure
3. Get about 1/2 of the cooked sticky rice and dot the rice with the blue pea flower extract all over
4. Grab an 8×8-inch square tray or 9-inch round tray and brush with some oil on the bottoms and all sides. Cut a parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan. This will make your life easier when you try to remove cake from the pan. Transfer the blue sticky rice and white sticky rice to the tray
5. Cover with a piece of parchment paper
6. Really use your palms to pack the rice down so your cake won’t fall apart when you cut it
7. Mix all ingredients for pumpkin layer. Strain this mixture if necessary to get rid of lumps
8. Bring the water in the steamer to a boil. Place the tray with the pressed rice cake in the steamer. Strain the pumpkin mixture over the rice cake very gently to avoid any bubbles. Close the lid (wrapped with a cloth) and lower the heat to medium-low. Steam for 45 minutes or until the top layer is no longer wet. Do not crank up the heat or you will end up with the surface that is not smooth
9. Remove the cake from the steamer and let it cool down completely before cutting, about 4 hours or so. Loosen the edge with an oiled knife or plastic knife and then gently transfer the kueh out from the pan. Trim off the 4 edges to make the cake looks “neater”. I forgot to do so and you can see in the photo that the edges of the cake curved up. Cut the cake into the size you like
How to store kuih seri muka/kueh salat
Kuih seri muka is best eaten on the same day if possible, but I know leftover happens. You can keep them in an air-tight container at room temperature for 24 hours after they have cooled down completely. You can store them in the fridge for another day or two, but just know that the longer you keep them in the fridge, the harder the sticky rice will get. You can reheat briefly in a microwave by draping a damp paper towel over the kuih and heat for about 10 seconds or so to soften the rice.
Did you make this recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Pumpkin Kuih Serimuka / Kueh Salat (Eggless Recipe)
Ingredients
For blue pea flower extract:
- 25 pieces butterfly pea flowers
- 60 ml water
Bottom layer - if using the stove to cook the sticky rice cake:
- 400 gr glutinous rice
- 150 ml coconut milk
- 100 ml water
- ½ tsp salt
Bottom layer - If using an electric pressure cooker to cook sticky rice:
- 400 gr glutinous rice
- 300 ml coconut milk
- 200 ml water
- ½ tsp salt
Top layer (Pumpkin layer):
- 350 gr pumpkin puree
- 100 gr thick coconut milk
- 120 ml water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 80 gr granulated sugar
- 50 gr all-purpose flour
- 40 gr corn starch
Instructions
- Put dried blue pea flowers and water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and then turn off the heat. Let them steep for 10 minutes. Strain out the juice
Cooking sticky rice with a steamer:
- Soak the rice for at least 4 hours or overnight in water
- Drain the water you use to soak the sticky rice. Place the sticky rice in a tray. Pour in the coconut milk and salt and stir to mix. Place this in a steamer and steam on high heat for about 25-30 minutes or until cooked through and soft. Remove from the steamer. Refill water in the steamer if necessary and get it ready to steam the cake again later. Wrap the lid of the steamer with a cloth to prevent water dripping back on the cake, which will make the surface of the cake not smooth
Cooking sticky rice with Instant Pot pressure cooker:
- No need to soak the rice. Place all the ingredients for the rice (bottom layer) in a pan that is at least 3-inch height and can fit in your instant pot. Stir to mix and make sure the rice is covered by liquid. Pour 1 cup of water into the inner pot of the instant pot. Put a trivet in and place the pan with rice on top. Close the lid. Turn the steam release valve to "sealing". Press "pressure cooker" and make sure it's on "high pressure". Set timer to 30 minutes. Wait 10 minutes and then fully release pressure
Pressing the rice cake:
- Get about 1/2 of the cooked sticky rice and dot the rice with the blue pea flower extract all over
- Grab an 8x8-inch square tray or 9-inch round tray and brush with some oil on the bottoms and all sides. Cut a parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan. This will make your life easier when you try to remove cake from the pan. Transfer the blue sticky rice and white sticky rice to the tray. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and really use your palms to pack the rice down so your cake won't fall apart when you cut it
Prepare the top layer:
- Mix all ingredients for pumpkin layer. Strain this mixture if necessary to get rid of lumps
Steaming the cake:
- Bring the water in the steamer to a boil. Place the tray with the pressed rice cake in the steamer
- Strain the pumpkin mixture over the rice cake very gently to avoid any bubbles. Close the lid (wrapped with a cloth) and lower the heat to medium-low. Steam over 45 minutes or until the top layer is no longer wet. Do not crank up the heat or you will end up with the surface that is not smooth
- Remove the cake from the steamer and let it cool down completely before cutting, about 4 hours or so
When ready to serve:
- Loosen the edge with an oiled knife or plastic knife and then gently transfer the kueh out from the pan. Trim off the 4 edges to make the cake looks "neater". I forgot to do so and you can see in the photo that the edge of the cake curved up. Cut the cake into the size you like
