Klepon
Indonesia's bite-sized sweet: bright-green pandan glutinous rice balls with a molten palm-sugar centre, rolled in fresh grated coconut.
Overview
Glutinous rice flour mixes with hot pandan-tinted water to a smooth dough; rests for 10 minutes. Palm sugar chops fine. A small ball of dough flattens between palms; a teaspoon of palm sugar nestles in; the dough closes over and rolls to a smooth sphere. Boils briefly in water until they bob to the surface and feel done (about 3 minutes). Drains; rolls in salted fresh grated coconut. Eats cool.
Ingredients
Dough
- 250 g glutinous rice flour
- 20 g plain rice flour (for slight bite)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 200 ml hot water (just-boiled)
- 1 teaspoon pandan paste (or 2 tablespoons fresh pandan/suji-leaf juice)
- A few drops of green food colouring (optional, for vibrant colour)
Filling
- 120 g palm sugar (gula merah / gula jawa), finely chopped or grated
Coating
- 150 g fresh grated coconut (or rehydrated desiccated coconut, see below)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pandan leaf (knotted, optional)
Method
Stage 1 - Prep coconut
- If using fresh grated coconut: toss with the salt and the pandan leaf (knotted) in a wide shallow bowl; rest 10 minutes; remove the leaf.
- If using desiccated coconut: pour 4 tablespoons boiling water over 150 g, stir, rest 5 minutes till rehydrated; toss with salt.
Stage 2 - Dough
- In a wide bowl, whisk both rice flours and salt.
- Whisk the pandan paste / juice and food colouring into the hot water.
- Pour the hot pandan water into the flour gradually, stirring with a wooden spoon until you have a soft pliable dough (you may not need all the water).
- Knead briefly until smooth; cover; rest 10 minutes.
Stage 3 - Fill and shape
- Divide the dough into 20 balls (about 25 g each).
- Work one at a time, keeping the rest under a damp cloth.
- Press a ball flat between your palms (5 cm disc).
- Place ½ teaspoon of chopped palm sugar in the centre.
- Gather the edges up and over; pinch to seal.
- Roll between palms to a smooth sphere (about 3 cm).
- Place on a tray dusted with rice flour.
Stage 4 - Boil
- Bring a wide pot of water to a rolling boil.
- Drop the klepon in (10 at a time so they don't crowd).
- Boil 2-3 minutes; they will sink, then bob up to the surface.
- Once at the surface, give another 30 seconds; lift with a slotted spoon directly into a bowl of room-temperature water for 5 seconds (stops the cooking and prevents stickiness).
Stage 5 - Coat
- Lift the cooled klepon onto the coconut bed.
- Roll to coat all over.
- Place on a serving platter.
Stage 6 - Serve
- Eat at room temperature, ideally within an hour.
- Bite carefully - the palm sugar inside is hot/sticky.
Notes
- Seal the dough tight: any gap and the palm sugar leaks out into the boiling water during cooking. Pinch firmly.
- Hot water for the dough: glutinous rice flour needs hot water to hydrate properly. Cold water gives a crumbly dough that won't seal.
- Salt the coconut: the contrast between salty coconut and sweet palm-sugar interior is the whole point. Unsalted coconut tastes flat.
- Fresh grated coconut is dramatically better: desiccated rehydrated works in a pinch but lacks the moist tender chew. Asian grocers sell frozen grated coconut.
Storage
- Best within 2 hours of making.
- Keeps 1 day in an airtight container at cool room temperature; the dough firms slightly but is still good.
- Don't refrigerate - glutinous rice flour goes rock-hard in the fridge.
- Doesn't freeze well.
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