Hello Local Guides!
I would like to introduce a legendary Indonesian dessert that is almost difficult to find in this modern era. There are many variations of dessert nowadays that makes this legendary drink eroded by the times. The name is Selendang Mayang (Mayang Shawl). It is a dessert that combines layer cake with coconut gravy and sugar syrup. Called Selendang (shawl) because the cake has several layer colors just like a dancer’s shawl, and in Indonesian, Mayang is a name that can be interpreted as chewy and sweet.
Selendang Mayang is a traditional beverage from Betawi people. The dough is made of rice flour and hunkwe flour (mung bean flour), usually in red, white, and green colored. It is best served cold with ice cubes, coconut gravy, and sugar syrup. It has a sweet-savory taste. In Betawi tradition, this drink is presented in special occasions, such as wedding party and other celebration event.
If you visit Indonesia and happen to be in Jakarta, you cand find the remaining Selendang Mayang’s sellers in Kota Tua area. You can also make this dessert at home. Here’s the recipe.
Ingredients:
200 ml thick coconut milk
500 ml water
50 gr rice flour
100 gr hunkwe flour (mung bean flour)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
Rose red food coloring
Green food coloring
Coconut gravy ingredients:
200 ml thick coconut milk
500 ml water
1/2 tsp salt
2 pandan leaf
Sugar syrup ingredients:
200 gr palm sugar
100 gr white sugar
200 ml water
1 pandan leaf
Cooking method:
- Place the thick coconut milk, water, rice flour, hunkwe flour, vanilla, and salt in a pan. Mix them well and cook until it becomes a thick dough.
- Divide the dough into three equal parts. Add rose red food coloring to one part, add green food coloring to another part, and leave the rest just white.
- Prepare the mold (I use 24x10x7 cm size) and spread some cooking oil.
a) Pour the rose red mixture into the mold,
b) then pour the white mixture,
c) and the green mixture last.
4. Let it cool, unmould, and cut into small pieces.
5. Boil all the coconut gravy ingredients and keep stirring to avoid the curdling of milk.
6. Boil all the sugar syrup ingredients until all the sugar dissolves.
7. Serve the dessert with coconut gravy, sugar syrup, and some ice cubes.
It’s very easy, isn’t it? I hope you try it at home. It’s so yummy and refreshing! 
Thank you for reading and have a good day!
#monthlytopic of September 2020 - Sweets in your region @HiroyukiTakisawa
