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Dadar Gulung
Serves 12 Prep 1 hr Cook 30 min Total 1 hr 30 min Type Dessert Origin Indonesian

Dadar Gulung

Indonesia's green pandan crepes: rolled around a sticky filling of fresh grated coconut cooked with palm sugar. A sweet, fragrant cigar.

Serves 12 Prep 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes batter resting) Cook 30 minutes Units Rate

Overview

The crepe batter: rice flour, plain flour, eggs, coconut milk, water, salt, pandan extract, whisked smooth, rested for 30 minutes. The filling (unti): palm sugar dissolves in a little water with a pandan leaf; fresh grated coconut stirs in; cooks for 5 minutes till just absorbed and sticky. Cool. Crepes cook for 1 minute per side in a small pan. Each crepe gets a heaped tablespoon of unti at one end; folds in the sides; rolls up like a cigar. Eats at room temperature.

Ingredients

Crepe batter

  • 100 g rice flour
  • 100 g plain flour
  • 2 eggs (large)
  • 250 ml coconut milk
  • 250 ml water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pandan paste (or 3 tablespoons fresh pandan juice)
  • A few drops green food colouring (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter (for the batter)
  • Extra butter (or oil for the pan)

Filling (unti kelapa)

  • 200 g palm sugar (gula merah / gula jawa), chopped
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 pandan leaf (knotted, or a pinch of salt if unavailable)
  • 200 g fresh grated coconut (or rehydrated desiccated, see klepon recipe)
  • 1 pinch salt

Method

Stage 1 - Batter

  1. In a wide bowl, whisk the rice flour, plain flour, salt and sugar.
  2. In a jug, whisk the eggs, coconut milk, water and pandan paste / juice.
  3. Pour wet into dry; whisk until smooth.
  4. Stir in the melted butter and food colouring (if using).
  5. Rest 30 minutes (the gluten relaxes; the colour deepens).

Stage 2 - Filling

  1. In a small pan, combine the chopped palm sugar, water and pandan leaf.
  2. Heat over medium-low until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Add the grated coconut and a pinch of salt.
  4. Cook 4-6 minutes, stirring, until the mixture is sticky-sweet and the liquid is mostly absorbed (still slightly moist, not bone dry).
  5. Remove the pandan leaf; cool to room temperature.

Stage 3 - Crepes

  1. Heat a small non-stick pan (16-18 cm) over medium heat.
  2. Brush lightly with butter or oil.
  3. Pour about 60 ml of batter into the centre; tilt the pan to coat the bottom in a thin even circle.
  4. Cook 1 minute; the top should look set and the bottom pale green-gold.
  5. Flip with a thin spatula; cook 20 seconds on the second side.
  6. Slide onto a plate; stack as you cook the rest.

Stage 4 - Fill and roll

  1. Lay a crepe flat on the work surface.
  2. Place 1 heaped tablespoon of cool filling along one edge in a 8 cm line.
  3. Fold the two short sides over the filling.
  4. Roll up tightly from the filled edge to make a cigar shape.
  5. Place seam-down on a platter.
  6. Repeat for the rest.

Stage 5 - Serve

  1. Stack the rolls neatly on a serving plate.
  2. Serve at room temperature with hot strong coffee or tea.

Notes

  • Cool the filling: warm filling makes the crepes go limp and they tear during rolling.
  • Pandan paste vs fresh: fresh pandan juice (blend 4-5 pandan leaves with 100 ml water and strain) has the truest flavour, but bottled pandan paste is a fair shortcut. Use one or the other - both makes it taste perfumey.
  • Don't make the filling too dry: if you cook the unti to bone-dry it crumbles out of the crepe. Slightly moist is correct.
  • Thin crepes, not thick: dadar gulung crepes are like a French crepe in thickness - thinner than American pancakes.

Storage

  • Best on the day of making.
  • Keep 24 hours at cool room temperature; the crepe slightly stiffens but is still good.
  • Don't refrigerate - the rice flour seizes up. Eat at room temp.

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Bubur Kacang Hijau (Mung Bean Coconut Porridge)

Bubur Kacang Hijau (Mung Bean Coconut Porridge)

Split mung beans (the green hulled kind) soak optionally 4 hours (cuts cooking time in half but not essential). Beans simmer in water with knotted pandan leaves, sliced ginger and a pinch of salt for 35-45 minutes until soft and split. Palm sugar dissolves in; cooks another 5 minutes. To serve: ladle into bowls; pour thick warm coconut milk over the top. Optional toppings: a sprinkle of fried shallots, a spoon of toasted black sesame, or chunks of toasted sweet bread (the Surabaya street-cart way).

Desserts 5 hours 5 minutes Serves6