10 Delightful Asian Desserts Made with Rice Flour

Rice has many uses beyond a beloved carb food to pair with dishes. Like wheat, rice is also milled to make flour in Asia, used to make noodles like vermicelli, Pad Thai noodles and the flat Chinese He Fen noodles. Besides that, you can also use rice flour to make many sweet desserts. Glutinous rice flour is even more common in dessert-making across Asian cultures.

Rice Flour VS Glutinous Rice Flour

Rice flour is made from white rice or brown rice, and turns a soft, stretchy texture when cooked. Besides desserts and noodles, rice flour is also great for making light batters for deep fries and thicken soups, gravy and stews. Meanwhile, glutinous rice flour is milled from glutinous rice, and becomes gluey and chewy when cooked. Glutinous rice is also a pastry and dessert ingredient on its own.

Come check out our deep dive into the wonders of glutinous rice. Also learn more about the difference between rice flour and glutinous rice flour in our special feature on the topic.

And now, without further ado, let’s have a taste of the 10 delightful desserts you can make with the two rice flours:

Blue Butterfly Pea Kuih Lapis

Kuih is the common term for traditional Malaysian steamed-cooked pastries, with both rice flour and glutinous rice flour as a core ingredient. Kuih-s are typified by their combo of sweet and savoury flavours and soft chewy textures. This lovely Kuih Lapis recipe is named after the layers of sweetness made with tapioca flour, rice flour, coconut milk, pandan and powdered Blue Butterfly Pea. Every bite is pleasure!

Blue Butterfly Pea Seri Muka

Also flavoured with Butterfly Pea flower powder for its enticing colour and fragrance, this Kuih Seri Muka has 2 wafer-like layers. The top is a sweet custard made from rice flour, cornflour and mung bean starch and coconut milk. The base is a chewy treat of savoury glutinous rice. A blend of sweet-savoury flavour and wondrous textures!

Kuih Pelita

Pelita means ‘lamp’ in Malay. Thus, the Kuih Pelita is shaped like a handheld oil-lamp with banana leaves to hold the soft and chewy pastry within – which actually has 2 layers! The top is the creamy savoury bite, made from rice flour, coconut cream and salt. The bottom layer is sweet with a vanilla-like aroma, made from rice flour, pandan and sugar. Chew into both and let the combo of flavours melt on your tastebuds!

Dodol

Dodol is another beloved Malaysian dessert. A bouncy and gluey jelly made from glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, coconut cream and palm sugar. Sweet and tasty with an alluring smoky tone as you chew. A specialty dessert like no other. Try it with our authentic recipe!

Mung Bean Rice Crepe

Soft and chewy with shredded coconut flakes, this Thai sweet crepe has a wrap made with glutinous rice and a filling of steamed mung beans and shredded coconut, added with toasted sesame seeds, sugar and salt. The mung bean brings a refreshing taste to the sweet-savoury flavour!

Bua Loy Rice Balls in Coconut Milk

This creamy delight is a Thai dessert fave – tender, springy glutinous flour rice balls in coconut milk sweetened with palm sugar and pandan, plus a savoury sprinkle of salt. In this recipe, the glutinous rice balls are also combined with mashed pumpkin for a fruity sweet flavour. Come try it!

Badak Berendam

Malaysian cuisine also has a version of glutinous rice flour balls in coconut milk. The balls are larger with a pandan fragrance and a filling of grated coconut with palm sugar – which also alludes to the dessert’s name: Badak Berendam, meaning Soaking Rhinos. The coconut milk ‘sauce’ is also imbued with pandan and thickened with rice flour. A dessert made to satiate! Grab the recipe here!

Tang Yuan

Glutinous rice flour balls are a dessert staple beyond Southeast Asia as well. The classic Chinese Tang Yuan is a joyful example. The rice balls are often made with natural food colouring for a vibrant vibe, while the soup has a bracing oomph with a sweet flavour and fragrance, cooked with ginger and palm sugar. Tang Yuan is also a traditional celebration dessert for the winter solstice, with its name a homophone of the Chinese term for ‘reunion’. A comforting dessert for the whole family!

Matcha & Red Bean Mochi

Mochi is an all-time favourite traditional Japanese pastry, made from a glutinous rice flour dough with a naturally sweet red bean paste filling. Delightful to chew and let the sweetness ooze in your mouth! Try this recipe with added matcha powder for a refreshing green tea fragrance!

Sencha Daifuku

Daifuku is basically a ‘supersized’ Mochi, also made from a dough of glutinous rice flour, but with an added fruity filling for extra flavour and texture. Tender to chew and sweet to taste! This special recipe by Chef Karen Chan has a tantalizing sencha green tea aroma and a delicious strawberry filling. Come have a bite!