Klepon

Step 1

Chop the palm sugar into small pea-sized pieces using a knife and cutting board, so it will melt easily inside the dough.

Step 2

Pour 2 cups glutinous rice flour into a large mixing bowl, then sprinkle 0.25 teaspoon salt over the top.

Step 3

Add 1 teaspoon pandan extract to a measuring cup with 0.75 cup water and stir with a spoon until the color is uniform green.

Step 4

Slowly pour the green water into the flour while stirring with your fingers, squeezing and breaking up lumps, until the mixture looks like wet sand with no dry flour visible.

Step 5

Knead the dough in the bowl by folding it over itself, pressing with the heel of your hand, and turning it, for 2 minutes until it is smooth and slightly sticky but holds together.

Step 6

Pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a walnut and roll it between your palms into a ball; repeat until all dough is shaped into 12 balls.

Step 7

Poke your thumb into the center of one dough ball to create a hole about 1 inch deep, then push a pinch of chopped palm sugar into the hole.

Step 8

Gently pinch the edges of the hole together to seal it, then roll the ball between your palms to smooth out any seams.

Step 9

Repeat steps 7 and 8 until all 12 dough balls are filled and sealed.

Step 10

Fill a large pot halfway with water and set it on a burner over high heat; wait until you see large bubbles rolling rapidly across the bottom and surface, about 8 minutes.

Step 11

Gently drop all 12 filled dough balls into the boiling water one at a time using a spoon, to prevent them from sticking together.

Step 12

Stir the water gently with a wooden spoon once every 30 seconds to keep the balls from sticking to the bottom.

Step 13

When all the balls float to the surface and stay there for 1 minute, they are done; remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Step 14

Pour 1.5 cups coconut milk and 1.5 cups water into a medium saucepan and place it on a burner over medium heat.

Step 15

Add 0.5 cup palm sugar and 0.125 teaspoon salt, then stir with a spoon until the sugar dissolves completely and the liquid is uniform in color, about 2 minutes.

Step 16

Let the syrup simmer gently (you should see small bubbles breaking at the surface) for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat.

Step 17

Divide the cooked klepon balls evenly among 4 bowls, placing them in a single layer at the bottom of each bowl.

Step 18

Pour the warm coconut syrup evenly over the klepon in each bowl until they are barely covered, about 0.75 cup syrup per bowl.