Ketupat Pulut Hitam

I will go as far as needed to reach ketupat for Hari Raya.
For years I was taking easy way barter trading ketupat with kuih raya or chocolate cake with all my four sister-in-laws. No shortcut in making own ketupat. Tedious!


The challenging part is wrapping the half-cooked glutinous rice in cone of pre-opened palas palm leave and weaving it in a firm motion to make a triangle shape with a tie knot at the end. I would lost the skill if not faded out over the years.
So I told darling to get palas licuala from night market and I want to make my own ketupat. "He he ... ya ka?". That chicky exclamation burn-up my fire! See ...it's not that bad after all for my first five pieces:).
I prefer the black ketupat for a different taste and a vibrant purple color. Like the white ketupat palas, it best eaten with rendang or serunding. For me eating it on it's own is a reward itself.

600g white glutinous rice
300g black glutinous rice
1 kg thick coconut milk (A)
1.5 kg dilutes coconut milk (B)
5 pandan leave - knotted
salt
50-60 pcs palas leave- opened and straightened up and wipe off the husk.

1. Soak the rice in 2 seperate bowls. The black rice shold take longer soaking that the normal rice. Wash the rice under running water until clean. Drip off excess water in the colander
2. Heat coconut milk (B) with knotted pandan leave and a little salt in large or kuali until it begin to simmers. Add the black rice first and stir countinously until coconut milk desolved.
3. Add the coconut milk (B) and plain glutinous rice and stir continuously until the rice is half cooked. For extra flavour, add boiled salt to the mixture and stir. Leave to cool.
4. Make a cone shape from the palas leave and place a small portion of the cooled glutinous rice and fill up the cone then wave the leave into a triangular shape.
5. Arrange in a big pot and fill up water to immerse all the wrapped ketupat. Boil with ocassional stirring and leave it until cooked. Cooked glutinous rice is usually quite soft when pressed.
Note: to improves ; I use rice cooker to cook by the same method.