Introduction: Onde Onde (Malaysian Coconut Balls)
Try this soft, scrumptious and delicious dessert (often served at yumcha) -
known also as mochi to the Japanese.
Its a tweak on the normal green onde onde - when you've run out of pandan leaves.
This recipe is steamed and uses similar ingredients
as the deep-fried Jin Dou a birthday or Chinese New Year
snack covered with crunchy sesame seeds.
Gluten-free as well, but I reckon the GI must be pretty high.
Step 1: Ingredients for Onde Onde
Ingredients
(Makes 12)
220gm glutinous rice flour
100gm sugar
250ml coconut milk
Cornstarch for rolling
Place flour, sugar and coconut milk in food processor. Add more water if dry.
Whizz until it appears like the soft, runny cake mixture like below.
Place in shallow dish and steam 20-30 minutes until cooked.
NEW UPDATE
You may speed up the cooking process by microwaving the mixture in a deep bowl for 2 minutes on high.
Stir the the half cooked mixture thoroughly.
Zap again on high for 2-3 more minutes till your dough is opaque.
Cool slightly before filling with fillings.
Roll on chopping board dusted with cornflour, chop into 12 pieces.
This had great results for me, turned out extremely soft and chewy and didn't turn hard until
DAY 3 in the fridge.
Step 2: Red Bean Filling
Ingredients
Cooked red beans
1/2 cup gula melaka - palm sugar
Add melted palm sugar to red beans and mash for a chewy, textured filling.
Blend if you prefer a finer texture.
Step 3: Pecan Nut and Coconut Filling
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped pecans
3 T shredded coconut
1/4 cup melted gula melaka - palm sugar with 3T water
Mix all ingredients together.
Step 4: Knead the Steamed Dough
This step is optional.
Place the steamed dough into mixer and knead for 10 minutes with dough attachment.
Step 5: Assemble Coconut Balls
Pan-fry extra the glutinous rice flour for 3 minutes over medium heat. You could use raw cornstarch instead as it is safe to eat.
One site recommends : "Researchers discovered that uncooked cornstarch dissolved in a nonsugary drink, such as milk or sugar-free soda, helped control diabetics’ blood glucose levels overnight." I'd check that out for accuracy.
(Use for coating hands and forming the coconut balls because the mixture is extremely sticky and gluey.)
Coat hands with raw cornstarch (or pan-fried glutinous rice flour) and insert filling.
This is rather sticky process and impossible without flour.
Coat with remaining shredded coconut.
For chefs - here is the (CCC) critical control point.
Normally you'd be using gloves and I'm still working on checking if the rice flour is cooked thoroughly before rolling out the balls.
Step 6: Baked Jin Dou - Crunchy Sesame Seed-Coated Ovals (with Savoury Filling)
Savoury Filling ingredients
1 cup grated white radish (lopak)
1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/4 cup red capsicum (peppers)
1/4 cup finely grated onion
Fry with 2T oil until caramelised and fragrant. Cool. You could also fill with sweet red bean mixture if desired.
Fill the prepared steamed glutinous rice flour dough. Flatten dough with dry-fried flour to make it easier to shape.
Bake in oven at 200 degree celsius for 20 minutes or until puffy. Turn over after 10 minutes to brown the other side.
Once cooled all the pastries will collaspe into a hard mass (as air leaves).
Reheat on cast iron / non-stick pan to soften and serve. (No need to add extra oil)
11 Comments
11 years ago on Introduction
In Malaysia onde onde is red sugar or coconut sugar fillings!And the fillings will burst out when we bite .
12 years ago on Introduction
Wow, this looks incredible. I'm going to give it a try!
Thanks for sharing your recipe.
13 years ago on Introduction
Just a nutrition heads up, Coconut is pure saturated fat, same with palm oil. Even though it's delicious it's hiding a horrible secret.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
This comment above is actually not true. The benefits far outweigh the harmful effects
13 years ago on Introduction
i absolutely love these. but too bad, i can't eat much, stomach cannot take coconut very well.
13 years ago on Introduction
in Indonesia we have Onde Onde too, but there's some difference:
1. we use *only* kacang ijo (green bean? sorry, I don't know the exact english name for it) for the filling; therefore there are no pecan Nut or coconut in the ingredients.
2. sesame seeds is used for the coating, before it went straight to the pan.
3. it is deep fried.
I believe it is closer to the original Jin Dou.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
looks more like "klepon" than "onde2" rite? o.O buti think i'll try to make this malaysian version onde-onde... good recipeanyway :D
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
thanks for your comment.
I checked out what klepon is, it sure sounds familiar
I may not know who "started it first" because I think any country that grows glutinous rice has a variation of this lovely recipe - I simply amalgamated a Japan version + Malaysian + personal taste version - voile, here's what worked for me.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
nah, doesn't matter who started it first. the thing i care about is which tastes the best. :) anyway, it really tastes like klepon for me...
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Thank for your comment, I shall try it with the green bean. I've made the jin dou with sweet potato mixed in and baked them, and they turned out a lot less oily, which was great. I used to pandan extract and boiling technique previously, but it wasn't as soft as steaming the whole lot first than making the balls. So I prefer the mochi method. The pecan nut method I made up because I luv pecans : )
13 years ago on Introduction
Thanks for your concern!
But if you research the web, there are discovery that the tropic countries of Malaysia, Phillipines, Samoa etc have used coconut for 4000 years for many ailments and diseases.
The saturated fat is high in coconut - 95% but it is different from animal saturated fats which cause heart attacks and a myriad of other health probs.
The lauric acid (found in human mother's milk) in coconut helps increase cell immunity. Its a wonderful vegetable ! plant