Ondeh-ondeh – pandan glutinous rice balls filled with gula melaka (Malaysian coconut palm sugar) and coated with fresh shredded coconut. A burst of sweetness with every bite.
Ondeh-ondeh is one of my favourite Malaysian kuihs (snack/dessert) of all time. The soft and chewy dough is flavoured with fragrant pandan juice and generously tossed in fresh shredded coconut. One bite, and it bursts open to reveal a hidden trove of melted gula melaka. Talk about liquid gold!
I know I have a Vegan Ondeh-Ondeh Cake recipe on the blog, but I just had to share a traditional recipe for ondeh-ondeh.
4 Ingredient Ondeh-Ondeh:
- glutinous rice flour gives them a chewy, mochi-like texture.
- pandan juice to give flavour and a natural green colour. If you want a darker green appearance, you can add green food colouring.
- gula melaka or Malaysian coconut palm sugar. I recommend using the loose version instead of those that come in hard blocks. As explained in my Vegan Ondeh-Ondeh Cake blog post, gula melaka has a distinct, caramel-like flavour. It’s essential in ondeh-ondeh; you can’t really replace it with anything else.
- freshly shredded coconut. Steam the coconut with salt before using. Refer to the recipe notes below.
How to Make Ondeh-Ondeh:
- Combine flour and pandan juice together until a dough forms. It won’t really keep it’s shape, but will sink onto whatever surface it’s on.
- Transfer to a floured surface. Roll out into a cylinder and divide into 9 equal pieces, around 65-70g each. They should break apart easily with a soft tug.
- Flatten a piece with the palm of your hand and place 1 tsp of gula melaka in the middle. Fold and pinch the opposite sides of the dough together, then roll the dough between both hands GENTLY until a ball forms. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Cook the balls in a pot of boiling water for 2.5 minutes, until they become a darker green and expand slightly. At this point, the ondeh-ondeh will be very soft and sticky.
- Working gently, coat each ball with the shredded coconut and let rest for 5 minutes before enjoying !
Tips and Tricks:
- Dust your hands and work surface with more flour whenever the dough starts to stick, but try not to use too much. This might dry out the dough, making it easier for it to crack.
- Try not to flatten the dough out too thinly, as this makes it easier for the dough to crack. Roll the dough into a ball VERY GENTLY without applying too much pressure.
- Work quickly when forming the ball. The gula melaka will start to melt from the warmth of your hand and you don’t want it to seep out through the dough.
- If you prefer the sugar to be fully melted, cook them for 3 minutes. I cooked mine for 2.5 minutes because I prefer the sugar to be part-solid, part-liquid. Don’t cook them for less than that though, as it’ll result in under-cooked dough.
- Quickly coat the cooked ondeh-ondeh with shredded coconut to prevent them from sticking to one another.
I mentioned above that I like to pop a whole ball into my mouth at once, but I also love biting into them because OMG that cross section is just 😍.
Ondeh-ondeh is best eaten when slightly warm, or on the day it’s made. I wouldn’t recommend refrigerating them, because the liquid sugar causes the dough to harden and the sugar itself solidifies. Anyway, I doubt they’ll last long because these guys are super addictive. Believe me when I say you won’t stop at one!
More Malaysian snacks and desserts to try:
If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!
Ondeh-Ondeh
Ingredients
- ½ cup glutinous rice flour more for dusting
- ¼ cup pandan juice
- 2 tbsp gula melaka (Malaysian coconut palm sugar)
- ¼ cup freshly shredded coconut steamed*
Instructions
- Combine flour and pandan juice until a soft dough forms.
- Transfer to a floured working surface. Roll the dough into a cylinder and divide into nine equal pieces (around 65-70g each).
- Flatten the ball with the palm of your hand and place 1 tsp of gula melaka in the middle. Fold and pinch opposite sides of the dough together, then roll the dough to form a round ball.
- Cook the balls in a pot of boiling water for 2½ (or for 3 minutes if you prefer the sugar completely melted).
- Working gently, coat each ball with shredded coconut. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
