Klepon (Indonesian pandan rice cake balls)

Name: Klepon (Indonesian pandan rice cake balls)
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 200g glutinous rice flour; 150ml warm water; 1 tsp pandan extract; 0.25 tsp salt; 80g palm sugar, finely chopped; 80g desiccated coconut; 0.25 tsp salt, for the coconut

Green chewy rice balls with a melting palm sugar centre, rolled in fresh coconut. They burst in your mouth.

Time45 min
LevelEasy
Costabout £0.58 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

6 servings, about 20 balls

Ingredients

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200 gglutinous rice flour
150 mlwarm water
1 tsppandan extract
¼ tspsalt
80 gpalm sugarfinely chopped
80 gdesiccated coconut
¼ tspsaltfor the coconut

Method

1
Mix the coconut with its pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl. Steam over simmering water for 10 minutes, then cool.
10 min
2
Mix the glutinous rice flour, salt and pandan extract. Add the warm water a little at a time and knead to a soft, smooth dough that is not sticky. Rest for 10 minutes.
3
Pinch off pieces about the size of a walnut, about 20 g each. Flatten each in your palm, add half a teaspoon of chopped palm sugar and seal tightly. Roll smooth.
4
Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Cook the balls in batches of 8 until they float, then 1 minute more.
4 min
5
Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain well and roll in the steamed coconut.
6
Serve warm or at room temperature. Bite carefully, the sugar inside is molten.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.