Blue glutinous rice cakes (Pulut tai tai)

Instructions

1. To make the Hainanese kaya, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk in the sugar until combined. Add the coconut milk and stir well, then strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a stainless steel bowl and add the pandan leaves.
2. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water over medium heat for 7–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to warm and thicken.
3. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and stir often to prevent any lumps forming. After about 10 minutes the jam should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir constantly for another minute. Set aside.
4. Tip the extra sugar into a clean heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon water. Without stirring, let the sugar dissolve and turn into an amber caramel, then quickly drizzle it into the jam mixture and mix well to combine.
5. Set aside to cool completely, then place the jam in an airtight jar. Store in the fridge for up to a month.
6. To make the Blue glutinous rice cakes, place the butterfly pea flowers or powder in a heatproof bowl, add the boiling water and leave to brew for 5 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid.
7. Wash the rice until the water runs clear, then let it drain. Divide the rice and tamarind paste evenly between two bowls. Pour the butterfly pea flower liquid into one bowl, along with enough water to cover the rice, and stir to combine. For the second bowl, just add enough water to cover the rice. Leave them to soak for 6–8 hours.
8. Set up your steamer over medium–high heat. Add the pandan leaf to the steaming water and bring to the boil. Line your steamer basket with banana leaves (or baking paper) and poke holes in them.
9. Meanwhile, drain both bowls of soaked rice and mix them together. Place the rice in the steamer basket and set the timer for 10 minutes.
10. While the rice is cooking, mix together the coconut milk and salt in a small bowl. When the timer goes off, tip the rice into a bowl and pour over half of the coconut milk. Stir well, then return the rice to the basket and steam for another 10 minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining coconut milk mix and steam for another 10 minutes. By now, the rice should be soft but chewy in texture with an attractive blue and white marbling effect.
11. Line a 20.5 cm square cake tin with foil, leaving an overhang at the sides. Lightly brush the lined tin with oil. Add the steamed rice and spread it out evenly. Top with a slightly smaller cake tin (about 17.5 cm), then place a heavy object (such as a mortar) in the tin. Leave it to press down on the rice for 2–3 hours.
12. Remove the pulut tai tai from the tin, cut into cubes and serve with kaya.