Kue putu mayang — Indonesia

Kue putu mayang is a Betawi rice cake shaped like a nest of thin noodles, made from rice flour and coconut milk dough that is pressed into strands, tinted in bright colors, and steamed until tender. It is reported from the Betawi community of Jakarta and the surrounding Java region, where it is sold as a market and street snack alongside other steamed rice cakes. Betawi and Javanese households commonly serve it with kinca, a liquid palm sugar syrup, while in some Indian Indonesian communities it is paired with chutney or curry instead. To prepare it, rice flour and tapioca starch are mixed with coconut milk into a batter, briefly steamed and kneaded into a workable dough, then divided and colored before being pressed through a noodle press into thin strands. These are coiled into small nests and steamed again until fully cooked, while the accompanying palm sugar syrup is simmered separately. What distinguishes this dish from other steamed rice cakes in the same family is its noodle-like shape, achieved by pressing rather than cutting or rolling the dough, and its two different serving styles within Indonesia, sweet with kinca in Betawi and Javanese settings, or savory with curry in some Indian Indonesian households.