Easy and Fast Pulut Hitam Porridge (Bubur Ketan Hitam)

Bubur ketan hitam or Pulut hitam porridge is black glutinous rice porridge, a Southeast Asian sweet dessert. It is traditionally served with thick coconut milk.

This is one sweet dessert that is very popular all over Asia, you can find it easily in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Another sweet thing is that it is easy to cook at home!

The chewy texture and nutty flavor of cooked black glutinous rice are really what make this dessert irresistible. Not only the taste of this sweet dessert is tempting, but also the fragrance while cooking this is super nice!

I have always loved this dessert since I was a kid. I didn’t know how to cook it well. So I failed several times. I had to throw one pot away because it was too hard, not chewy enough, or too watery.

Health Benefits of Black Sweet Rice

1. It helps with the digestion.
2. Rich in antioxidants
3. It is naturally gluten-free

Black Sticky Rice

Black sticky rice or black glutinous rice is a type of glutinous whole grain rice used to make desserts in Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.

It is sticky in nature and black in color hence the name black sticky rice. Also, when you cook it, it has a nutty flavor, tender and chewy texture.

Black Glutinous Rice vs Black Rice

Black glutinous rice has another name : black sticy rice or ketan hitam in Indonesian. When cooked it becomes sticky, chewy, and tender, hence the name.

Asian people usually cook black glutinous rice as desserts. Traditionally, it is served warm with coconut milk as a comforting dessert or snack.

Black rice is another type of rice. It is not as sticky as black glutinous rice. Black rice has zero grams of sugar, the rest of the carbohydrate in black rice is starch.

Black rice is usually recommended for diabetics to substitute white rice in Asia because of its zero sugar content.

Ingredients Overview

Black Glutinous Rice

Remember to use black glutinous rice or black sticky rice, not black rice. Soak the black sticky rice overnight or 6 hours ahead. The minimum soaking time is 2 hours.

Coconut Sugar or Palm Sugar

Coconut sugar or palm sugar is fine. Coconut sugar and palm sugar leaves a nutty flavor to the porridge. Both mixes well with black sticky rice flavor.

I always like to mix the coconut sugar or palm sugar with regular sugar. It is up to your preference.

Regular Sugar

When you combine regular sugar with coconut sugar or palm sugar, it gives a balance to the sweetness.

Pandan Leaves

Pandan leaves will help add fragrance to the porridge. It is tasteless but it leaves a very nice fragrance.

Salt

Do not ever leave the salt. This helps balance the overall taste of the porridge.

Cooking Method

The 5 – 30 – 7 Method With A Stove

I don’t know who found this method, but it definitely works superbly! As a matter of fact, this method is all over the Instagram in Asia.

This method will not only help you create the perfect result but also save you cooking time and the gas.

1. After soaking the sticky rice, cook the rice with no lid on the pan and let it boil. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the stove.
2. Cover with the lid for 30 minutes.
3. After 30 minutes, turn on the stove again on medium heat. Let it boil. Cook for another 7 minutes after it boils. Please remember not to put on the lid.
4. The porridge should be chewy and tender after 7 minutes. You can put in the sugar and cover the lid for a few more minutes.
5. Stir well. And taste it. It should be chewy and tender. Moreoever, the broth will be thick like porridge.

Pressure Cooker Method

When you cook black sticky rice with a pressure cooker, you do not have to soak it. But I still find it more chewy if you soak it for at least 2 hours ahead.

Put in the black sticky rice, pandan leaves and water in a pressure cooker. Cover the lid and cook until it makes hissing sound. Turn to low heat and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the stove.

Rice Cooker Method

Another way of cooking pulut hitam is using a rice cooker. Maybe this is the easiest one. Soak the rice for at least 2 hours.

Put in all ingredients and press the porridge button. It usually takes one and a half hour to have a nice black sticy rice porridge.

Now that you have 3 methods, you can try each one of them and choose your favorite.

My favorite method certainly is the 5 – 30 – 7 method!

Pulut Hitam / Bubur Ketan Hitam Recipe

• 250 gr black glutinous rice
• 2 pcs pandan leaves
• 1000 ml water
• 100 gr sugar
• 100 gr coconut sugar

Coconut Milk

• 400 ml coconut milk
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 pcs pandan leaves

Step By Step

1. Wash the black glutinous rice and soak the black glutinous rice with 1000 ml water overnight or at least 6 hours.
2. Transfer the black sticky rice and water in a pot. Put in the pandan leaves.
3. Cook the black rice for 5 minutes with medium heat. Stir once in a while.
4. After 5 minutes of cooking, turn off the stove, and cover the lid for 30 minutes.
5. Open the lid after 30 minutes, turn on the stove, let it boil, and cook for 7 minutes.
6. Put in the sugar and salt. Taste the sweetness. Stir to let the sugar dissolve. Cover the lid for a few more minutes.
7. While waiting for the 30 minutes window time, you can prepare the coconut milk.
8. Bring to simmer the coconut milk, salt, and pandan leaves. Stir occasionally to avoid the coconut milk breaking apart. Turn off the stove when it simmers.
9. Pour the black sticky rice porridge in as small bowl. Drizzle with coconut milk.

Serving Bubur Ketan Hitam

Pulut hitam porridge is traditionally served warm, even though you can also serve it cold. It is a comforting dessert in Asia.

There are many ways to serve pulut hitam. You can add pearl sago to make it more beautiful.

Combine with Purple Yam Candil or Corn Pudding to make it more colorful.

Experiment with your favorite dessert. Some people even put a scoop of their favorite ice cream on top! Coconut flavor would be the best!

Tips And Trick

Pulut hitam is very easy to cook and prepare. However, it takes some time if you cook it traditionally and there are tips and tricks to make it right.

Basically, there are a few things to remember!

1. ALWAYS remember to soak the black sticky rice. It helps with the tenderizing process. Soak it at least 2 to 6 hours or overnight.

2. DO NOT put in the sugar before the black sticky rice becomes chewy, that means at the end of cooking time. If you put the sugar first or in the middle, the black sticky rice will not ever become tender and chewy, no matter how long you cook it.

3. FOLLOW THE 5-30-7 METHOD as I have shown above to save the gas and time needed to make the sticky rice chewy.

I know cooking pulut hitam can be frustrating if you don’t know the trick. I’ve been there.

The perfect pulut hitam porridge should be chewy and tender, and the water becomes thick and blends well with the rice.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: What is Pulut Hitam Porridge?

A: Pulut Hitam Porridge also known as Black Sticky Rice Porridge or Bubur Ketan Hitam is a simple traditional dessert from Asia. Hence, it is very popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. It is a sweet dessert made of black sticky rice, palm sugar, and coconut milk.

Q: Is Pulut Hitam porridge gluten-free?

A: Pulut hitam is naturally gluten-free since the main ingredient is black glutinous rice. However, you need to check if there are other ingredients that contain gluten in it. Some people may use cornstarch to thicken it.

Q: Is there a fast method to cook Pulut Hitam Porridge?

A: Certainly! As I have shown above, there are many ways to cook black sticky rice fast and efficiently. The 5-30-7 method is the easiest and fastest one!

Q: Can I substitute the sugar in Pulut Hitam Porridge?

A: Absolutely! You can substitute coconut sugar or palm sugar and regular sugar with any sweetener you prefer. However, please understand the the flavor may be different from the traditional Pulut Hitam Porridge.

Q: What should I do for leftover Pulut Hitam Porridge?

A: Just keep it in an airtight container up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat using low heat.

Q: Is Pulut Hitam Porridge suitable for my vegetarian and vegan friends?

A: Sure! The whole ingredients in Pulut Hitam Porridge are in fact safe for vegetarians and vegans.

If you like this type of dessert, you may want to check out Purple Yam Candil and Corn Pudding so next time you can add the two sweet desserts to your Pulut Hitam!

Also, learn how to make Banana Fritters, they are also a good company for Pulut Hitam!