I had only heard of this kuih recently and found it pretty similar to seri muka…. The difference are: no glutinous rice and less coconut milk is used. It taste more savoury too.
This is actually the second round I am making this kuih. I made some adjustments from the first round based on the feedback I was given.
Issues with the pandan layer:
- Too soft: But coconut milk layer was just nice: I had used thicker coconut cream but reduced the flour and starch content for both the pandan layer and coconut milk layer. I plan to stick to the same flour and starch ratio as the original recipe.
- Taste too bitter and too strong: I reduced the pandan.
- Colour is slightly off: I didn’t use food colouring. Hopefully reducing the pandan and adding some coconut cream would make it look better.
Issues with the coconut layer:
- Liquidy patch: The coconut layer in contact with the pandan layer was slightly liquidy. Cook the it longer on the ‘stove’. I also plan to cool, refrigerate and cut it before serving.
- Bubbles in the coconut layer: Cook the it longer on the ‘stove’ so that it is more ‘pastey’
Did right with:
- Flavour: Sweetness of pandan layer and saltiness of the coconut layer was just nice So I’m sticking to the reduced sugar version
- Minimalist: I substituted green pea starch with corn starch.
Kuih Talam Recipe
(adapted from Chef Foo Hai May)
Ingredients
Pandan Layer (Bottom)
350g Pandan Water (7 pandan leaves)
70g Rice Flour
25g Tapioca Starch
25g Corn Starch
45g Granulated Sugar
30g coconut cream*
Coconut Layer (Top)
165g Coconut cream*
190g Water
30g Rice Flour
25g Tapioca Starch
15g Corn Starch
3g Salt
*I used a carton of 200ml of coconut cream weighing 195g of coconut cream so I used 30g for the pandan layer and 165g for the coconut layer
Method
Pandan Layer (Bottom)
1. Wash and blend pandan leaves with water and sift it.
2. Mix rice flour, tapioca starch and corn starch with pandan water and coconut cream.
3. Sift it and pour it into pot
4. Add sugar.
5. Heat up pot and stir until it becomes a paste.
6. Pour it into an oiled pan. My circle pan was 8 inch diameter. I actually used my rice cooker aluminium inner pot.
7. Steam for 25 minutes and put aside.
Coconut Layer (Top)
1. Mix rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch and salt with coconut cream and water.
2. Sift it and pour it into clean pot
3. Heat up pot and stir until it becomes a paste.
4. Use a fork to ‘scratch’ the surface of the cooked pandan layer so it becomes uneven
5. Pour the coconut paste mixture on top of the cooked pandan layer
6. Steam for 25 minutes
7. Cool before serving
How was it?
The pandan layer was still too soft… The coconut layer was a bit salty…
Refrigerated it overnight and served it the following day. The pandan layer had hardened up by then. Still tasted salty to me…
Feedback
The feedback from others was ‘Taste good the way it is. No further changes to be made.’
Personal preference: If I am keeping it at room temperature to be consumed immediately, I will increase the rice flour quantity.