Klepon (Indonesian Pandan Balls with Coconut)

When I was looking for a few sweets to round out my New Year's Eve Rijsttafel, I came across these gluten-free rice flour balls that are colored with pandan, filled with sugar, and rolled in coconut.

If you are unfamiliar, pandan is a spiky, tropical plant whose leaves are used in South Asian cuisines to add color - a vibrant green - and flavor. Its taste is strong with notes of grass, vanilla, and almonds. I picked up some pandan flavoring and extract at a local Asian market.

Ingredients

Dough

• 240 grams glutinous rice flour

• 2 Tablespoons full-fat coconut cream

• 200 milliliters water

• 1/2 teaspoon pandan flavoring and extract

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Also Needed

• 1/3 cup palm sugar, grated

• shredded coconut

Procedure

Combine all of the dough ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix with a spatula until you get a smooth, pliable dough. Roll the dough into small balls, then make a small indentation in one side. Add 1/4 teaspoon of the palm sugar into the middle, then pinch the dough to enclose the sugar.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. In batches, add balls in batches so that they are not touching each other. Depending on the diameter of your pot, I usually do 6 to 8 at a time. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes to cook the dough and melt the sugar inside.

Once cooked, let cool slightly.

Roll cooked dough in shredded coconut. Serve immediately.