Klepon
Small pandan-flavored glutinous rice balls filled with liquid palm sugar and rolled in grated coconut, genuinely gluten-free despite the misleading name, since glutinous rice flour contains no wheat gluten at all. Its real hallmark is a burst of molten palm sugar syrup when bitten into; a klepon whose filling has solidified or crystallized is considered a poorly made version. The dish became the center of a real, documented 2020 controversy in Indonesia, when a repurposed, unrelated 2008 food photo circulated online with text falsely calling klepon 'un-Islamic' and pushing a rival snack instead, a claim widely condemned as either a marketing stunt or a divisive provocation, with Islamic scholars publicly confirming klepon is halal and the claim had no real religious basis.
Ingredients
- 2 cups glutinous rice flour
- 1/4 cup pandan juice (from blended pandan leaves)
- 3/4 cup water
- 150g palm sugar, finely chopped
- 2 cups grated coconut
- Pinch of salt
Steps
- Mix the glutinous rice flour with pandan juice and water into a smooth, pliable dough.
- Steam the grated coconut briefly with a pinch of salt.
- Take small pieces of dough, flatten, and place a bit of chopped palm sugar in the center, sealing into a ball.
- Boil the balls in water until they float, about 5-8 minutes.
- Roll the warm balls in the steamed grated coconut and serve promptly.