KUANTAN – Puding Diraja, a specialty from the region of Pekan, Pahang.

Puding DiRaja or Royal Pudding started as a dessert which was specially served to the Royalties of Pahang.

This particular dessert is a specialty from the region of Pekan, Pahang.
The basic ingredients are bananas (of the smaller variety as these are usually sweeter), prune, cherries and cashew nuts. Jala mas (golden threads) which were made from duck egg yolks and sugar (another laborious process) were then sprinkled over the top to dress it up. This pudding is best enjoyed cold.

Tonight I had my first taste of this heritage delicacy. A favorite appetizer or dessert taken by local folks with their evening tea, this calorific dish is normally served during traditional Malay weddings and festivals.

To me, the Puding Raja is not so much a pudding but a rather simple dish of bananas bathed in a sauce or gravy of made from milk and custard flour. Almost alike your “pengat” but no coconut milk is used and the bananas are fried first prior to soaking in the sweet broth.

Then prunes and cherries are usually added. The saccharine sweet and rich jala emas is the final touch.
Personally I enjoyed this dessert although it’s a bit too sweet. The trick is not to eat too much of it!

Thanks to Firefly Airlines for the opportunity to visit Kuantan (this is my first time to Kuantan, Pahang!) and your kind hospitality in hosting us!

All pictures taken with:

desserts, firefly, Kuantan, malay