Recipe: Klepon, Indonesian Pandan flavoured glutinous rice balls with palm sugar

Take your taste buds on a sensory trip to Indonesia with these delicious and light Klepon dessert balls and change the way you eat and view desserts forever.

The coronavirus pandemic has halted all our travel plans since quite a while, and given the surging numbers it doesn't seem that anyone will be going on holiday to exotic locations anytime soon. However that doesn't mean you can't take your taste buds on a trip around the world. One such dish in the Indonesian origin Klepon, which is a ball of glutinous rice flavoured with pandan leaves, filled with molten, gooey palm sugar filling and rolled around in coconut shavings. Doesn't that sound like a party in your mouth? Try out this recipe, although a little lengthy and possibly a little complicated for beginners, but your efforts will truly not be in vain. Check it out:

INGREDIENTS

COCONUT COATING

1 1/4 cup freshly grated coconut (100 gram), from half coconut

1/4 tsp salt

1 pandan leaf, knotted

GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS

2 cups glutinous rice flour (260 gram)

1/4 cup rice flour (40 gram)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp pandan paste

1 cup hot water (240 ml)

100 gr palm sugar block/Javanese sugar/gula melaka

2 pandan leaves, knotted

water, for boiling

INSTRUCTIONS

COCONUT COATING

In a heatproof bowl, mix coconut and salt together. Add pandan leaf on top. Steam for 10 minutes to prevent the coconut from going bad easily. Set aside.

GLUTINOUS RICE BALLS

Prepare the filling by shaving the palm sugar block with a sharp knife. Make sure to mince it as finely as possible to make sure the filling will be fully melted after cooking.

Prepare a large pot of water to boil Klepon while working on the dough.

In a large bowl, combine glutinous rice flour, rice flour, and salt until well combined. Add the pandan paste and slowly add in the hot water, while stirring with a spoon to form a dough. When the dough is warm enough to work with, knead the dough with hands and form it into a ball. The dough should be soft, firm, and not too wet or it will be too sticky to work with. Cover with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.

Take a little bit of dough and make it into a 1 1/4-inch/3cm ball. Push an indent in the centre, making a large hole enough to put the filling. Place about 1/2 tsp minced palm sugar and gather the edges to close the seam. Roll it back into a ball with your palms.

COOKING THE BALLS

Add 2 pandan leaves to the boiling water. Immediately put the ball into boiling water. Repeat making and boiling the balls with the remaining dough. Avoid overcrowding the pot and you can do them in several batches if necessary.

The balls are fully cooked when they float to the top. This usually takes around 4-5 minutes. Make sure to cook them a minute longer to ensure the filling fully melts. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon once cooked. Put them in a strainer to remove the excess water.

Roll each ball immediately in the steamed grated coconut with a spoon.

The filling should be hot at the moment. Cool Klepon slightly before eating or the palm sugar filling will burn your tongue.

(Recipe courtesy Jaja Bakes)