Kuih Lopes (Malay Glutinous Delicacies)

This is my favourite Malay kuih. When my mum was healthier, she used to make this every Ramadhan. Now I'm staying away from her, I miss it so much especially when seeing Tulip, Hana & Ummi made it recently. In modern life, the method has been simplified a lot. My mum made it in a traditional way, where half-cooked glutionous rice is rolled, wrapped with few layers of banana leaf, tied tightly and then boiled. It lasts many days without keeping it in fridge. With the modern method, the glutinous rice is fully cooked and then shaped. There are few ways of shaping it which I explain below.

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups Glutinous Rice - soaked with few drops of green coloring about an hour or more
A bowl Thin Coconut Milk *
10-12 Screwpine Leaves (Daun Pandan) - squeeze juice*
Salt* (* added together)
Fresh decicated Coconut - add a pinch of salt
1 piece Palm Sugar
3 tbsp White Sugar
Water - just enough to dilute sugar

METHOD:
1. Steam glutinous rice for about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle coconut milk and continue steaming for another 10 minutes.
Repeat until glutinous rice is tender.
Shape as perferred.

2.Few method in shaping:
a. My method: Roll cooked glutinous rice in a piece of banana leaf & wrap with aluminium foil. Sliced when cool.
b. Ummi's method: Line a bottle cap with a piece of plastic & press glutinous rice tightly. Lift out by pulling the plastic.

c. Tulip's method: Press the cooked glutinous rice into a tin. Cool & slice.

3. Roll shaped glutinous rice with desicated coconut.
Serve with Gula Melaka syrup.

4. To make Gula Melaka syrup, place palm sugar & white sugar in a pot.
Add in enough water to dilute it & a piece of screwpine leaf.
Boil.