Klepon indonésien

Blend the pandan juice

Blend the pandan leaf pieces with the water until smooth, then strain through a fine sieve or a piece of muslin cloth, pressing well to squeeze out all the green juice. Discard the fibrous pulp — the juice is what colours and perfumes the dough naturally, with no food colouring needed.

• 10 pandan leaves
• 250 ml water

✅ C'est prêt quand : the strained juice is bright green and you have at least 180 ml

Season and steam the coconut

Toss the grated coconut with the salt and the knotted pandan leaf, then steam over gently simmering water for 8–10 minutes. Steaming firms up the coconut and keeps it fresh for longer, so it won't turn sour before the klepon are eaten.

• 200 g grated coconut
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 pandan leaf

✅ C'est prêt quand : the coconut is warm through and smells sweet rather than raw

Make the dough

In a bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour with the salt. Pour in the pandan juice a little at a time, kneading with your hand, until you get a smooth, soft dough that holds together without cracking when you flatten a small piece between your fingers — that bend test tells you the dough has enough liquid and won't split open in the boiling water.

• 250 g glutinous rice flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 180 ml pandan juice (from step 1)

✅ C'est prêt quand : a flattened piece of dough bends at the edge instead of cracking

Shape and fill the balls

Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a walnut (around 15 g) and roll into balls. Flatten each one slightly in your palm, press a dent in the centre, add about 1 teaspoon of chopped palm sugar, then pull the dough back up and around the filling, pinching the seam closed and rolling it smooth again. Make sure there are no cracks or open seams — any gap lets the melted sugar leak out into the water instead of staying trapped inside.

• 100 g palm sugar

✅ C'est prêt quand : each ball is smooth, fully sealed, and shows no cracks when rolled between your palms

Boil the klepon

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop in the filled balls, a batch at a time without crowding the pot, and boil until they float to the surface and look slightly translucent, 5–7 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon and let them drain for a few seconds.

• 2 litres water

✅ C'est prêt quand : the balls float and turn a slightly glossy, translucent green

Coat in coconut and serve

While the klepon are still warm, roll them straight away in the steamed grated coconut until completely coated, so the coconut sticks to the hot, slightly tacky surface. Serve the same day, ideally within a few hours, while the palm sugar inside is still soft and molten.

• 200 g steamed grated coconut (from step 2)