Kiruboakibaa ( Coconut milk and Rice Cake) updated



This a very old recipe, which was why it was so hard to perfect because no one seems to know the exact measurements, and people have played so much with this recipe, substituting flour or even cornflour and calling it kiruboakibaa. It's usually served during afternoon tea or eaten as a snack. The biggest challenge for me was getting the measurements right. You see most local ladies don't really measure, it's always a little of this and that. When they do give measurements it means some glass of or a cup of or more traditionally an empty condensed milk can or coconut shell.
 So trying to perfect this recipe took me almost 3 years, I got thumbs up from my mother and sister-in-law that it was finally the way it should be. Mind you this is a trial-and-error recipe but since I got the approval am posting it.

This isn't really a cake, more like a jelly-like slice as the rice becomes starchy as it cooks and thickens and sets once baked, with a crusty golden top.    My aunts use plain flour instead of rice flour.

I made this recipe by grinding basmati rice till very fine, here in the Maldives, ground rice is sold in local supermarkets. In the old days, they used jasmine-scented water to flavour this, but I used pandan instead. Instead of squeezing fresh coconut milk, I used canned coconut milk. But this is a recipe that takes time and effort to make and patience, something that I don't have sometimes so I made this on a day when hubby is home so he can keep an eye on the boys while I hover around the stove.

So if you want to give this recipe a try, do it on a weekend as this takes some time especially if you are planning to grind the rice yourself. 

Kiruboakibaa recipe adapted  from  Zareena Ibrahim Didi's Kiruboakibaa recipe from Dhivehi Kaana 1

1 cup  finely ground rice ( see note below)
1  cup canned coconut milk ( or use freshly squeezed first milk extract)
2 cups pandan-infused water ( see note below )
1 1/2cup sugar ( or more if you like it sweeter)
2 tbsp rose water

Preheat the oven to about gas mark 180 Degree C.  Oil an 8-inch round tray with flavourless vegetable oil.
Sift the rice, and grind the ones that didn't pass through the sieve. 

In a large saucepan mix ground rice, sugar, coconut milk, pandan water and flour.  Stir well and place on the stove over medium-high heat. Stir continuously with a whisk, till the mixture starts to thicken.  Don't think of turning the heat up, it takes time, and you have to stir all the time as it might catch and burn at the bottom.

Once the mixture thickens to a thick paste,(It should be so thick that you will have some difficulty in stirring it). stir in rose water. Stir for another 2 minutes and switch off. Carefully pour into the prepared tray, and level it up.


  Pop the tray in the oven( middle shelf)  and bake till a skewer comes out quiet but is still wobbly. The top will have a  lightly golden colour., it will be about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Be patient, as this takes some time. Let the boakibaa cool completely in the tin before cutting it into squares. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge 

Troubleshooting: sometimes the 'cake' tends to split in the middle, its best to reduce the heat a little.

Note : Ground Rice :  To prepare the ground rice mixture,  wash 1 cup of basmati rice under running water till the water runs clear. Then soak for about 6 hours. Then place in a grinder, blend with 1-2 tbsp water and grind. To make sure its finely ground, I pushed it through a fine mesh sieve. If you are lucky to have a local stone grinder, I would suggest you use it as the electric wet grinders don't grind it as fine as the Dhaiy and Foi do.

To make Pandan water, place about 16-inch pandan leaves ( torn up or knotted ) in a saucepan filled with about 4 cups of water.  Bring to a boil then simmer for about 30 minutes.  Remove the pandan leaves, cool and use as required.


Comments

  1. It looks very nice this recipe... I will give it a try :)
    have a nice week-end

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  2. delicious.Hi Uhave a nice blog. U can visit my blog and give ur valuable comments.

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  3. this looks like a fragrant delicious cake

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  4. lovly recipe....and new to me!!! yummy!!

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  5. Such a delicious rice cake, i want a piece to taste. Nammi Kokum is like tamarind but not tamarind, this dried kokum is used to add sourness in dishes.

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  6. Nammi, your coconut rice cake looks wonderful.

    ReplyDelete

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