"Badak Berendam" Tradittional Dessert in Singapore

Badak Berendam or Kuih Koci Bersantan
I am presuming that many of the non-Asians would find this dessert totally an alien, BUT I can assure you that once you have tried this, you are going to love it. The term Kueh/Kuih is referred to traditional desserts and savory snacks and is widely used in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Coconut has been gaining a lot of popularity with food enthusiasts and this dessert is all about the coconut! Coconut adds such an amazing and rich flavor to a recipe and a lot of Asian desserts use coconut as one of its main ingredients. It could either be in the form of coconut milk or shredded coconut. In this recipe, it would showcase the usage of coconut in both forms.

Badak Berendam or Kuih Koci Bersantan (Glutinous Rice Balls in Coconut Sauce) is a very popular traditional dessert in Singapore, as well as many parts of Malaysia and Indonesia as well. It is especially popular and widely sold during Ramadan (Fasting Month). Badak Berendam/Kuih Koci Bersantan are basically glutinous rice balls that are stuffed with grated coconut that has been cooked with palm sugar/coconut sugar. These balls are then boiled or steamed for a couple of minutes before dropping them in a sauce made from coconut milk. Double the coconut goodness and yes, these are completely vegan!

If you have eaten Mochi before, this has the exact texture just like a Mochi, but this one is definitely more delicious.

Badak Berendam or Kuih Koci Bersantan

If you are living in another part of the world and ingredients like screw pine leaves are not easily available, fret not as you can still make this dessert because the screw pine leaves are optional. The three main ingredients for this dessert would be:

Glutinous Rice Flour
Coconut
Palm sugar/Coconut sugar
This dessert is made up of three components:

The coconut filling.
The glutinous rice balls.
The coconut sauce.
Does it sound complicated? Yes, maybe.

Is it complicated to prepare? Definitely not.

Badak Berendam or Kuih Koci Bersantan
The glutinous rice balls – before steaming
Badak Berendam or Kuih Koci Bersantan
The glutinous rice balls – after steaming.
We all know that Asian food is yummy. From the very popular Vietnamese Spring Rolls to a spicy Chicken Curry, Asian cuisines never fail to tantalize your taste buds. People, it’s time to add another delicious Asian recipe to your repertoire! If you love Asian food or you simply love coconuts, let the recipe below guide you and this delicious and sinful dessert would surely satisfy your sweet tooth.

This is also one of the perfect desserts to make when you want to serve something unique to your guests or when it comes to feeding a large crowd as the ingredients are really cheap! I hope I did not sound like a cheapo there? *Palmface* Well if it is cheap, yet delicious…why not right

Ingredients:

For The Filling
250g palm sugar or Coconut sugar
Freshly shredded coconut (from one coconut)
A pinch of salt
For The Glutinous Rice Balls
300g glutinous rice flour
1 cup water
8 screwpine leaves (optional)
For The Sauce
500 ml coconut milk
1 tablespoon plain flour
⅓ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For The Coconut Filling
Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a non-stick pan and cook this for about 15 minutes or until the mixture is almost dry.
Set this aside to cool. The filling can be prepared 1-2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
For The Coconut Milk Sauce
Place the coconut milk and salt in a pot and cook this over a moderately low flame.
Add the flour and water in a bowl and mix well.
Once the coconut milk is almost reaching a boil, add the flour mixture and mix well.
Stir till it reaches a soft boil.
Keep this aside.
For The Glutinous Rice Balls
In a blender, blend the water and screwpine leaves. Strain the juice and discard the bits of leaves.
Skip this step if you are not using screwpine leaves.
Mix the glutinous rice flour with the water or the blended screwpine juice.
Add more glutinous rice flour or more water as required. All you want is a nice smooth dough that is not sticky.
Take a small amount of the dough and fill it with half a teaspoon of the coconut filling.
Roll into balls and place these on a non-stick paper or tray.
Cooking The Glutinous Rice Balls
Boiling Method:
Boil a pot of water and once the water comes to a soft roll, add the glutinous rice balls one by one. Do not overcrowd the pot.
Once the glutinous rice balls float, remove them from the hot water, drain and add it into the coconut milk sauce.
Steaming Method: (My Preferred Method)
Prepare the steamer.
Once the water boils, add the glutinous rice balls in the steamer and steam for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the balls.
Once cooked, add these to the coconut milk sauce.
Notes
If you are not using screw pine leaves but you still want the glutinous rice balls to be green, you can add a few drops of green coloring to the water before making the glutinous rice balls. Alternatively, you can also add a few drops of screw pine/pandan extract