The local paper has mentioned palm sugar / gula melaka for 2 consecutive Sundays.  The earlier week featured it as an ingredient for a cupcake recipe. (Good riddance white sugar!  Definitely trying this out.)  The next week, a brand of granulated version of gula melaka was introduced by the same writer, which I think is more friendly to bake with.  I have been adding granulated gula melaka to my morning coffee, adding a nicely “burnt” aroma as well as a richer taste.  It’s a bonus to know that gula melaka has a lower GI than white sugar, and thus is a healthier sweetener than sugar.

Gula melaka syrup is a pantry basic good to have around if you like your breakfasts sweet, it makes a perfect drizzle for waffles, pancakes and french toasts.  It is cheaper to make gula melaka syrup than to buy maple syrup (Note: NOT MAPLE FLAVORED SYRUP).

And of course, it is also wonderful for cold desserts like sago pudding, shave ice(cendol/ice kachang), and even as a sweetener in an avocado smoothie!  I have written about a popsicle recipe using gula melaka recently.

On a side note: I got a shock when I saw the ingredients “sugar, coconut, water” on a pack of gula melaka that I randomly grabbed from the market.  It wasn’t a familiar brand, and packaging design looked generic, the kind that could be used by any dried goods distributor for their red beans, barley etc.  Isn’t gula melaka simply sap from coconut flower reduced to a solid block through a boil?

“Gula melaka is made by making several slits into the bud of a coconut tree and collecting the sap. Then, the sap is boiled until it thickens after which, in the traditional way, it is poured into bamboo tubes between 3-5 inches in length, and left to solidify to form cylindrical cake blocks.” – {via}

Anyway, I put that aside and bought another pack of my usual 马六甲正椰塘 to make my gula melaka syrup.  Just to make sure.

GULA MELAKA SYRUP
// From : Cuisine Paradise

INGREDIENTS

• 200g Gula Melaka
• 2 Pandan leaves, knotted
• 80ml water

1. Place all 3 ingredients in a small pot and bring to boil.
2. Lower heat and simmer till mixture slightly thickens.
3. Remove pan from heat and allow syrup to cool to room temperature.
4. Remove pandan leaves and pour syrup into a clean container.  Use immediately, or keep stored in fridge up to 3 months.