How make this traditional Malay yellow glutinous rice, or Pulut Kuning, the traditional steamed method and rice cooker method.

Pulut Kuning, literally translated to Yellow Glutinous Rice, is a special dish usually reserved for special occasions such as weddings. It is most commonly served with Rendang, but you can find variations of it served with Serunding and Sambal.

A quick breakdown on what Pulut Kuning means in Malay:

Pulut = Glutinous Rice

Kuning = Yellow

Since the traditional method of steaming it does take a bit of time, we rarely see this being served at all! However, I made this in a rice cooker, to amazing results – so let’s normalise Pulut Kuning as being the Malay carb of choice!

Why is Pulut Kuning Yellow?

The Pulut Kuning receives its gorgeous bright colour from Turmeric. You can use turmeric powder – which I used here – although purists will insist on fresh turmeric, grated straight in with the rice.

With glutinous rice, you will need to soak it in water before cooking. Glutinous rice has a hard outer layer, so it requires a long soaking time to soften, while absorbing the water.

While you can get yellow rice with just 4 hours of soaking, I recommend an overnight soak to truly get a bright colour. Some would cheat, by adding a couple drops of yellow food colouring, so this is something you can consider if you need Pulut Kuning in a jiff – jiff being 4 hours.

How to make Pulut Kuning?

In this recipe, I highlighted three ways of making Pulut Kuning.

Traditional Soak and Steam: The traditional way is to soak it in water for at least 4 hours with turmeric. The rice is then drained and steamed until it cooks fully.
Soak and Rice Cooker: The second way is to soak the rice in the rice cooker and for 1-2 hours, and then let it cook on the regular setting. Prepping it is important, so that the rice can soften and cook fully. This method do not require you to drain the water away. The rice will continue soaking and absorbing the liquid as it cooks in the heat.
‘Sweet Rice’ or ‘Low Sugar’ Japanese Rice Cookers: This is hands down my favourite method, because of how foolproof it is! Add all of the ingredients to the rice cooker, and turn the setting to ‘Sweet Rice’ and let it cook! In this setting, the rice is cooked at a constant, lower heat for a longer period of time than regular rice. This allows the glutinous rice to cook proper. The steps are the same if f you have a Japanese rice cooker with a “sweet rice” function, you can skip this step.

Since I have a Japanese rice cooker with the ‘Low Sugar’ or ‘Low Glucose’ setting, this is my go-to! However I know not everyone will have a Japanese rice cooker.

I’ve tried it with the traditional soak and steam and the soak and rice cooker methods, and surprise! The rice cooker method came out the winner. Not only was it more effortless, it resulted in a flavourful, bright yellow rice that is sticky, but still soft and fluffy.

What is the Rice to Water Ratio for Rice Cooker Method?

The general rice to water ratio is 1:1. If you are using a Japanese rice cooker, this would come with instructions. Follow the amount of water as indicated. Some rice cookers require just 1 rice:3/4 water.

What Coconut Milk to Use for Pulut Kuning?

In this recipe, I used coconut cream, as opposed to coconut milk. In Singapore, coconut milk generally refers to the carton coconut cream that is easily available at supermarkets. It doesn’t matter which you use; all you do is gradually stir in the coconut milk or cream until it completely disappears into the rice. For my 1 cup of glutinous rice, I used 1 tbsp of coconut cream. With coconut milk, double or triple the amount.

You can even omit the coconut cream as well as the oil if you want a healthier dish! The coconut cream adds a lovely fragrance and a richness to the Pulut Kuning. The oil on the other hand – any neutral-tasting oil like vegetable or canola oil will work – adds a nice gloss to the rice.

With the rice cooker methods, I simply added everything in at the beginning for the sake of convenience! If you want to do this the supposedly “right” way, then stir in the coconut cream and oil halfway through the cooking process. This is when the liquid has been absorbed, but the rice is not done cooking yet. Gently stir until the coconut cream completely melts and disappears into the rice.

The only difference between the two methods is that adding coconut cream at the beginning might result in some curdled chunks of coconut cream in your rice. Simply stir your rice once it’s done cooking! As the rice is still hot, it can melt those coconut cream just as well. With both methods I don’t find there is an ultimate difference in taste.

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