Learn how to make soft yet lightly chewy pandan onde onde filled with aromatic coconut sugar. The first bite will create that burst of melty coconut sugar inside your mouth. All the tips you need to know.
My kids love Onde Onde or Sweet Glutinous Rice Balls I made. I was thrilled that she does because another reason of me cooking so much is that so I can share with my kids the food I grew up eating (I think I’ve said that 10,000 times! forgive me!) Onde onde or ondeh ondeh is one of the popular snack/desserts in Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, they are called klepon too. It was also one of my Dad’s favorite sweets. Making this Onde Onde was rather a bittersweet feeling. Sweet because it was so easy to make and such a tasty snack. Bitter because I don’t think I have yet fully recovered from losing my Dad 6 years ago and this reminded me of him. I know he’s smiling from up there seeing me making this Onde Onde. This is for you Dad (and your two grandkids you’ve never met in person)
SPECIAL INGREDIENTS FOR ONDE ONDE
1. Glutinous Rice flour
Glutinous rice flour is not the same with rice flour. So make sure you get the right one as the regular rice flour will not give the same texture
2. Tapioca starch
The addition of tapioca starch to the onde onde really improves the overall texture. The onde onde is still soft yet slightly chewy and more sturdy.
3. Unsweetened grated coconut
This is usually available at Asian grocery store,usually in the frozen form. Make sure you get the finely grated and not long shredded pieces.
4. Palm sugar / Coconut sugar
This is the “star” of onde onde. The filling of onde onde is made with only palm sugar. Known as gula Melaka or gula Jawa/ Gula Aren in Indonesia. They are usually in dark brown color. Closest substitution is coconut sugar, which is what I use
HOW TO MAKE ONDE ONDE FROM SCRATCH
The step-by-step photos shown here was when I made pumpkin ondeh ondeh and hence the color is not orange/brown instead of green (pandan version)
1. PREPARE THE DOUGH
Mix all ingredients for the dough, start with half the amount of liquid and then add more until you can form a smooth dough
Pinch off about 30 grams of the dough and boil in a pot of water until it floats to the top
Remove and add to the rest of the dough and knead until you form a flexible smooth dough. If it’s too sticky, you can add a bit of glutinous rice flour. Cover and rest for 15 minutes
2. FILL AND SHAPE THE DOUGH
Use your thumb to make an indentation on the ball and then fill it up with coconut sugar. Gather the sides to seal and roll into a smooth ball
3. BOIL THE ONDE ONDE
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over moderate heat. Add 4-5 balls at a time and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until they float to the top. The sugar inside the Onde Onde will have melted inside
4. ROLL THEM ON GRATED COCONUT
Remove the onde onde from the pot and roll it on the grated coconut at once to prevent the onde onde from sticking
IMPORTANT TIPS
1. HOW TO GET SMOOTH FLEXIBLE DOUGH
It is important to roll it into smooth balls. Dab with a bit of water if necessary to make sure that it’s smooth when you roll it
2. THE DOUGH IS HARD TO WORK WITH
Make sure you pinch off about 30 grams of the dough and boil it until it floats to the top and then mix with the main dough. This improves the flexibility of the dough and it makes the dough way easier to work with
3. THE FILLING IS LEAKY
This goes back to no.1 again. If you don’t roll the ball until smooth, any seam is a potential for the coconut sugar to leak out when you boil them
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT ONDEH ONDEH
STORAGE: Ideally ondeh ondeh is best consumed on the same day. BUT, if you have leftover, you can transfer them to a container with a tight lid and keep them in the refrigerator.
REHEATING: They will harden after refrigeration. You can simply reheat them using a moist heat like a steamer. Steam them over boiling heat for 2-3 minutes and they will soften again. You can also reheat them in the microwave. Cover them with a wet paper towel and then microwave on high for about 30 seconds or so or longer until heated through.
DID YOU MAKE THIS PANDAN ONDE ONDE RECIPE?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
For baking/ kueh making: I highly encourage to weigh ingredients with a digital kitchen scale instead of using measuring cups as they are not very accurate especially when it comes to recipe that requires precision.
GRAMS TO CUPS CONVERSION (UNSIFTED)INGREDIENTS
Pandan Dough ( yield 12-14 pieces):
- 100 gr glutinous rice flour - or more as needed
- 10 gr tapioca starch
- 1 Tbsp icing sugar
- 90 ml pandan juice - or more as needed
Filling :
- 80 gr palm sugar - or coconut sugar, coarsely chopped/shaved
Coat with:
- 150 gr grated coconut (unsweetened)
- 1/4 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- If the grated coconut is a bit wet, squeeze out any excess liquid. Steam the grated coconut with a bit of salt over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside
Prepare the dough:
- Mix all ingredients for the dough, start with half the amount of liquid and then add more until you can form a smooth dough
- Pinch off about 30 grams of the dough and boil in a pot of water until it floats to the top, remove and add to the rest of the dough and knead until you form a flexible smooth dough. If it's too sticky, you can add a bit of glutinous rice flour. Cover and rest for 15 minutes
Fill and shape the dough:
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls. Work with one ball at a time while keeping the rest covered. Use your thumb to make an indentation on the ball and then fill it up with coconut sugar. Gather the sides to seal and roll into a smooth ball. It is important to roll it into smooth balls. Dab with a bit of water if necessary to make sure that it's smooth when you roll it. Any seam is a potential for the coconut sugar to leak out when you boil them
Boiling:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over moderate heat. Add 4-5 balls at a time and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until they float to the top. The sugar inside the Onde Onde will have melted inside
Roll with grated coconut:
- Remove with a slotted spoon and roll in the grated coconut. Serve at room temperature, as a dessert or your afternoon tea snack
2 comments
Hi,
Can you make the dough with a stand mixer or soes it have to be by hand? I’ve done it with hand & it gets pretty hard to knead
Thx before
Hi Angie, yes you can definitely use a stand mixer to knead the dough. Another method that I’ve tried, instead of cooking a small portion of the dough, is by boiling the pandan juice and then pour it to the flour mixture and then stir to mix and when it’s cool enough to handle, knead by hand. It’s much easier to knead because the dough is flexible now. You can of course also do this with a stand mixer.