About this recipe

Klepon are small pandan-scented glutinous rice balls filled with melting palm sugar and rolled in salted grated coconut—the bite that bursts sweet when you chew.

Seal the filling carefully. Leaks dissolve into the boiling water and leave empty dumplings.

They are best the day they are made, when the coconut is still fresh and the centers are molten.

Prep & cook time

Prep25 minutes
Cook15 minutes
Total40 minutes
Servings30 pieces
LevelEasy

Tools you need

Mixing bowl
Pot
Slotted spoon
Tray of grated coconut

Ingredients

250 g glutinous rice flour
180–200 ml warm pandan water (or water + pandan paste)
A pinch of salt, for the dough
100 g palm sugar, cut into small pieces
200 g grated coconut mixed with 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Mix glutinous rice flour with pandan water and a pinch of salt into a smooth, pliable dough. Cover to prevent drying.
Pinch a piece of dough, flatten, add a piece of palm sugar, and seal tightly into a ball with no cracks.
Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Cook the balls until they float, then 1 minute more.
Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly.
Roll immediately in salted grated coconut.
Serve at room temperature the same day.

Kitchen tips

If dough cracks, wet your fingertips and smooth it.
Steam the grated coconut briefly if you want it softer and safer to keep a little longer.
Do not overcrowd the pot.
Use dark palm sugar for a deeper molten center.

Serve with

Tea or coffee
Other traditional kue

How to store

Best within 6–8 hours. Refrigerate up to 1 day; texture firms when cold. Bring to room temperature before eating.

Common mistakes

Poor seals that leak sugar into the water.
Dough that is too dry and cracks while shaping.
Rolling in unsalted coconut, which tastes flat against the sweet filling.