Balinese Pandan Rice Dumplings with Coconut Cream and Palm Sugar

debbierolls1979

5 days ago

3 min read

During my time in Ubud, Bali, I tried an incredible traditional dessert. It had a wonderfully soft, chewy texture, paired with creamy coconut sauce and rich palm-sugar syrup. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to make my own version at home using ingredients readily available in New Zealand.

These soft pandan rice dumplings draw inspiration from traditional Indonesian desserts like bubur candil and klepon. They are naturally gluten-free and taste amazing when served warm with coconut cream and palm-sugar syrup.

Ingredients

Pandan rice dumplings

150 g glutinous rice flour, also called sweet rice flour
1 tablespoon tapioca flour or tapioca starch
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon pandan paste or essence
Approximately 100–130 ml warm water

Coconut cream sauce

200 ml coconut cream
1 teaspoon white sugar
Small pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla essence, optional
1 pandan leaf, knotted, if available

Palm-sugar syrup

120 g Indonesian palm sugar or gula melaka, finely chopped
125 ml water
Small pinch of salt
1 pandan leaf, optional

Method

1. Prepare the dough

Combine the glutinous rice flour, tapioca flour and salt in a bowl.

Mix the pandan paste with 100 ml of warm water. Gradually add it to the dry ingredients, mixing until a soft, smooth dough forms. Add more water one teaspoon at a time if needed. The dough should be soft but not wet or sticky.

2. Shape the dumplings

Divide the dough into approximately 14 small pieces and roll each one into a smooth ball.

Keep the dumplings covered with a slightly damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.

3. Cook the dumplings

Bring a saucepan of water to a gentle boil.

Carefully add the dumplings and cook until they float to the surface. Once floating, cook them for another two minutes to ensure the centres are properly cooked.

Remove with a slotted spoon and briefly place them in cool water to prevent sticking.

4. Prepare the coconut cream sauce

Place the coconut cream, sugar, salt, vanilla and optional pandan leaf in a small saucepan.

Warm gently for three to four minutes, stirring regularly. Don’t allow the mixture to boil rapidly, as the coconut cream may separate. Remove the pandan leaf before serving.

5. Prepare the palm-sugar syrup

Place the palm sugar, water, salt and optional pandan leaf in a saucepan.

Simmer gently for five to seven minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens slightly. Remove the pandan leaf and strain the syrup if necessary.

To Serve

Place the warm pandan rice dumplings in shallow bowls. Serve the coconut cream and palm-sugar syrup in separate small jugs, just as my dessert was presented in Ubud.

Pour both sauces generously over the dumplings immediately before eating.

Finding the Ingredients in New Zealand

Glutinous rice flour, tapioca flour, pandan paste and palm sugar are available from many Asian supermarkets and New Zealand online Asian grocery stores.

Some larger Woolworths, New World and Pak’n'Save supermarkets also stock these ingredients in their international or gluten-free aisles.

Make sure you buy glutinous rice flour, not regular rice flour. Despite its name, glutinous rice flour does not contain gluten—the word describes its naturally sticky texture.

If you can’t find Indonesian palm sugar, substitute:

100 g dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup

Recipe Tips

Add the water gradually, as different brands of flour absorb different amounts.
If the dough cracks, add a few drops of warm water.
If the dough is sticky, add a little more glutinous rice flour.
Keep the cooking water at a gentle boil so the dumplings maintain their shape.
These dumplings are best enjoyed warm and freshly made.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Bringing a taste of Bali to your kitchen from mine.