[Recipe] Ondeh Ondeh

  I learned this recipe from my mother - I am so glad that helping her out to cook before I got married did help prepare my current role in the kitchen!
Before I continue with the recipe, I need to mention that this was made purely based on agaration (moderation of ingredients without specific measurements) more than anything else. What you really need are 2 important senses to make this kueh - touch and sight.
INGREDIENTS

- Glutinous rice flour (approx. 1/2 cup) - 1/2 a medium sized sweet potato (boiled till soften and mashed) - pandan flavoring (optional) - gula melaka (palm sugar) - desiccated coconut (bought in supermarket) or fresh grated coconut if available - water to mix the paste to form dough    This recipe makes about 18 pieces of ondeh ondeh.   The reason for the sweet potato to be mixed into the flour is so that the texture of the ondeh ondeh will be soft and less chewy. You can also choose to use just the flour alone however, the texture will be tough and very chewy which is not what it is supposed to achieve in the kueh.

  Prepare the gula melaka filling by scraping it thinly with a knife and leave aside.   MAKING THE DOUGH  

  This is the part where you need to use your sense of touch and sight I mentioned earlier.
Mix the mashed sweet potatoes and flour together, adding water a little at a time until you can feel that the texture is smooth and the dough no longer sticks to your fingers. If the texture is too wet, it becomes sticky so you would need to add in more flour at your discretion.There is also a similar instruction about making the dough in the flour manufacturer's packaging.
Add the pandan flavoring and mix well into the dough. This coloring is optional because if you notice, there are some kueh shops that use the color of the sweet potato for ondeh ondeh. But green is an exciting color so I put it in mine. :p
When the dough is ready, you can start boiling water in your pan. 
SHAPING THE ONDEH ONDEH
Form a ball shape and make a depression in the middle so that you can fill the gula melaka in it. Not too much so the dough doesn't tear during the cooking process. Do be gentle when you pinch the edges to secure the filling. Roll gently to shape into a ball. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough before putting them into the boiling water to be cooked. Gently move them around in the water once in a while.  It takes about 10-15 minutes to be ready.

 

In between waiting, prepare the desiccated coconut into a plate. I like to mix a tiny sprinkle of salt in the coconut to give the bite a little punch as the coconut is tasteless. But this is optional.

THE FINAL PRODUCT
Once the ondeh ondeh is cooked, gently scoop them out with water drained, roll them in the coconut and it is ready to be served!

Tip on buying gula melaka  
It is tricky to get good grade gula melaka these days. There are many kinds out there that is just brown sugar and not palm sugar. I've tried a few and so far, this one that I bought from Giant tastes good! NTUC also carries this brand.

  Till the next post, have a blessed week!