Wajid

Ingredients

Rice

• 500 gglutinous rice
• water, for soaking

To cook

• 800 mlthick coconut milk
• 300 ggula melaka or palm sugar, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• 2pandan leaves, knotted

To wrap and serve

• banana leaves, wilted
• a shallow tray
• extra pandan, optional

Directions

1. Use thick coconut milk rather than a thin carton one. Rinse the rice several times until the water runs clearer. Cover it with cold water and soak it for four hours. Overnight is better if you can plan ahead.
2. Drain it thoroughly before cooking. Line a steamer basket with muslin. Tip the drained rice in and spread it out. Steam it over boiling water for thirty minutes.
3. Stir it once about halfway through. It should be about three quarters cooked. Chop the palm sugar finely so it melts evenly. Put it in a wide heavy pan or a wok.
4. Add the coconut milk, the salt and the pandan. Set the pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Strain it if the palm sugar has grit in it.
5. Add the steamed rice to the sweet coconut milk. Stir it thoroughly so every grain is coated. Turn the heat right down to low. Now the stirring begins and it does not stop. Stir continuously with a sturdy wooden spoon. Give it about forty-five minutes in total.
6. Oil should be visible glistening at the edges. A spoon drawn through should leave a clear channel. Taste a little and check that no hardness remains. Setting it takes an hour or two. Line a shallow tray with wilted banana leaf. Tip the hot mixture into the tray. Press it down firmly and evenly.
7. Use a piece of oiled banana leaf to press with. The surface should be smooth and compact. Let it cool completely at room temperature. Cut it into diamonds with an oiled knife. Wrap individual pieces in squares of banana leaf. It keeps for three days at room temperature.

Technique

• Wajid is closely related to wajik in Indonesia and Malaysia and to several other palm sugar rice sweets across the region.
• The diamond shape is common to most of them and gives wajik its name in Javanese.

Substitutions

• Dark muscovado sugar can stand in for palm sugar, though it lacks the smoky note.
• Tinned coconut milk works well as long as it is the thick full-fat kind.

Variations

• Some versions add grated coconut to the mixture.
• A pandan-scented green version is made in parts of Malaysia.
• Wajik in Java is often softer and cut into smaller pieces.

History

Made for weddings and Hari Raya in Brunei and Sabah, where the sticky blocks are cut into diamonds and given to guests.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wajid?

Wajid is a snack from Brunei: glutinous rice cooked down with coconut milk and palm sugar, wrapped in leaf. Made for weddings and Hari Raya in Brunei and Sabah, where the sticky blocks are cut into diamonds and given to guests.

How long does Wajid take to make?

Wajid takes 20 minutes plus soaking of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes one tray, 24 diamonds. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Wajid?

Yes, within limits. Dark muscovado sugar can stand in for palm sugar, though it lacks the smoky note. Tinned coconut milk works well as long as it is the thick full-fat kind.

What is the most important thing to get right in Wajid?

Use thick coconut milk rather than a thin carton one. Rinse the rice several times until the water runs clearer. Cover it with cold water and soak it for four hours. Overnight is better if you can plan ahead.