Ondeh Ondeh

Ondeh ondeh is one of my all-time favourite nonya kueh. I love the burst of sweet gula melaka syrup as you bite into each ball. I have a recipe for ondeh ondeh in my recipe file for a long time, but have not quite gotten down to making it. After eating some made by a friend, I was inspired to make it for the family. Before that, I searched for more recipes to compare. Some use glutinous rice flour alone, but most use a combination of sweet potato and glutinous rice flour, and most of the latter recipes call for equal ratio of sweet potato and glutinous rice flour.

For my first attempt, I decided to use sweet potato and flour in equal ratio. Taste-wise, it turned out okay. I found the dough to be too soft, and I stuffed too much gula melaka that it leaked, turning the grated coconut brown.

1st attempt

Today, I decided to attempt perfecting it. This time, I used slightly more glutinous rice flour, and I put less gula melaka. The dough is perfect, slightly chewy and not too soft, and the amount of gula melaka is just right.

2nd attempt

Here is my recipe. I usually don't measure the ingredients when cooking, except for baking. So these are my rough estimates.

Ondeh Ondeh (yields around 100 pcs)

550g glutinous rice flour
400g sweet potatoes (I used jap sweet potato, you can also use the regular orange-fleshed ones)
Water (enough to form a smooth dough)
200g gula melaka
1 packet fresh grated coconut (I bought this from NTUC)
2 pandan leaves

1. Steam the potatoes for about 15mins or until soft enough to mash. Mash while still warm. Set aside.
2. Put the grated coconut over some cut-up pandan leaves and steam for 10mins. Set aside to cool.
3. Place the mashed sweet potatoes and rice flour together. Add water gradually until you get a soft and smooth dough.
4. Form the dough into small round balls, place and gula melaka in the centre and seal well.
5. Drop these into a pot of boiling water. It will float when cooked. I leave them in a little longer to make sure the gula melaka are all melted.
6. Remove, drain and roll in grated coconut.