Making Klepon

Klepon is traditional mini rice cakes popular in Indonesia. It is green in colour, usually flavoured with pandan paste, boiled, stuffed with liquid palm sugar and rolled in fresh grated coconut.

Now, picture a rainy afternoon and you sip a cup of hot tea accompanied by some delicious rice balls that burst with fragrant sweetness once you bite each and one of them. Heavenly, yes?

Anyway, I saw someone posted homemade klepon picture in Instagram last night and I instantly wanted to make some too! I quickly browsed klepon recipe in the internet and when my baby was napping this afternoon, I made my very own klepon.

My first attempt in making Klepon.

Klepon

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups Glutinous Rice Flour (Tepung Ketan)
• 3/4 cup Lukewarm water/coconut juice, mixed with few spoons of pandan paste/juice
• Few drops of green coloring
• 8 tbs Grated palm sugar (Gula Melaka/Gula Kelapa)
• 1 cup Fresh grated coconut, steamed for 15-20 mins
• Some glutinous rice flour (Tepung Ketan), for coating

Tutorials:

1. In a large bowl, mix glutinous rice flour with lukewarm water and green colouring and knead until the dough doesn't stick to the bowl.
2. Take one teaspoon of dough; roll it to make a one-inch ball using palms of our hands.
3. Press a finger into the centre of the ball to make a hole and fill it with a little bit of grated palm sugar. Seal the hole and roll back into a ball shape. 
4. Coat each ball with glutinous rice flour so it doesn't stick to each other. Repeat step 2, 3 and 4 until all dough is finished. Set aside.
5. Bring to boil a pot of water.
6. Pour the balls into the boiling water. Once they float, take all the balls out and roll them into the grated coconut.

** This recipe makes about 25-30 balls and it takes about 1 hour to make them.

Home-made Klepon.

Easy, right? If you are Indonesians overseas, you might want to make klepon on your own to satisfy your cravings!