Indonesia is a country rich in culture and culinary diversity. One of the culinary based on traditional culture is Putri Mandi cake. Putri Mandi cake is a type of wet cake made from glutinous rice flour with a filling of enten or coconut flakes doused with thick coconut milk. Putri Mandi cake comes from the island of Java which is similar to mendut cake. It is called Putri Mandi because it is as if the cake is bathed in a thick coconut milk fla gravy.
As someone who likes traditional Indonesian cakes, especially Putri Mandi cake, I want to try to make Putri Mandi cake. Even though this is my first time making Putri Mandi cake, the results are quite good. I will tell you a little about how I made it and what materials are used.
The Putri Mandi cake that I made is round in green, although some use red and yellow as the coloring. The first thing I did was prepare the tools and materials, then I made the cake filling first in the form of coconut-based enten/unti mixed with brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and pandan leaves as a flavor enhancer. After everything is well mixed set aside and let it cool at room temperature. After that I made balls from coconut enten/unti to make it easier to fill the Putri Mandi cake.
Then I made Putri Mandi cake dough which is made from glutinous rice flour mixed with tapioca flour, salt, given warm water little by little while kneading, and given green dye. After the dough is ready, it will then be given the filling that we have made in the form of coconut enten / unti, save round shape. Prepare the water to boil the Putri Mandi cake, after the water boils, add the cake so that it is cooked. Once cooked then remove and drain.
To make coconut milk fla, I made it from instant coconut milk mixed with water, salt, a little cornstarch to thicken it, and don't forget to add pandan leaves to make it smell good. I serve Putri Mandi cake in a plastic cup container then doused it with coconut milk flan plus a garnish of pandan leaves to make it look beautiful.
Unlike the ones I made, those sold by wet cake traders use plastic in packaging to make it easier and more attractive. The appearance of the Putri Mandi cake is indeed simple, but it is not as simple as the taste. Because the taste that is presented is so rich because of the sweet combination of the coconut enten/unti filling and the savory taste of the coconut milk fla.
Even though times are increasingly modern, we must preserve the recipes of traditional Indonesian culinary heritage so that our children and grandchildren will know about the rich traditional Indonesian cuisine.