Wash the rice thoroughly and drain in a colander.

Place the rice, turmeric (or turmeric powder) and assam peels in a container, fill it with water (about 2 inches above the rice) and soak overnight.

After soaking overnight, drain the water and remove the turmeric and assam peels. Line the top layer of your steamer with a muslin cloth and place the rice and pandan leaves in it. If you don’t have a double layer steamer, you may steam the rice in a large plate on top of a wok or large pot. Make sure there's enough water in the pot but not too much that it's touching the top layer.

With the heat or fire on high, steam the rice for 10 minutes, then using a large wooden spoon or rice scoop, flip the rice over and steam for another 10 minutes.

Add salt to the coconut milk and stir to dissolve. Add the coconut milk and peppercorns to the almost cooked rice and mix well. Place it back in the steamer and steam for another 5 to 10 minutes until it’s cooked.

Serve with the curry of your choice but it goes best with a thick curry gravy!