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Malaysia, Asia

Kuih Dadar

Malaysia's favourite teatime roll: thin crêpes tinted green with fresh pandan juice, wrapped around moist coconut cooked in gula melaka palm sugar.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time40 min
Batter rest+ 15 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Wash the pandan leaves, cut them into 2 cm pieces and blend with the water until fine. Strain through a fine sieve or muslin and squeeze hard to collect the deep green juice. Without fresh leaves, mix a few drops of pandan extract into the water instead.

    Add in this stepPandan leaves 5Water (for the pandan juice) 75 ml

  2. Finely chop the palm sugar. Put it in a 16 cm small pan with the water, the knotted pandan leaf and the salt and stir over medium heat for until fully dissolved into a syrup. If you see grit from the palm sugar, strain it once and return it to the pan.

    Add in this stepPalm sugar (gula melaka) 55 gWater (for the filling) 35 mlPandan leaf, knotted (for the filling) 1Salt (for the filling) 1 pinch

    medium heat

  3. Add the coconut and cook over medium-low heat for , stirring constantly, until the syrup is almost all absorbed and the coconut is glossy and sticky but no liquid runs on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pandan leaf and spread the filling on a plate to cool. If using desiccated coconut, soak it in the same weight of warm water for 10 minutes first.

    Add in this stepGrated coconut (fresh or frozen) 100 g

    medium-low heat

  4. Beat the egg in a bowl and mix in the coconut milk, pandan juice and salt. Add the flour a little at a time, whisking until there are no lumps, then strain. It should be just a little thicker than milk. Resting it for 15 minutes makes the crêpes softer and less likely to tear.

    Add in this stepEgg ½Coconut milk 100 mlSalt (for the batter) 1 pinchPlain flour 75 g

  5. Heat a 20 cm non-stick pan over medium-low heat and wipe it with an oiled paper towel. Stir the batter, pour in about 3 tbsp and immediately swirl the pan so it spreads thin and even. After about 1 minute, when the edges lift and the top looks dry, slide it out without flipping. If it turns golden, it is overcooked. Make about 5 in , stacking them under a cloth.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil (for the pan) 1 tsp

    medium-low heat

  6. Lay a crêpe smooth side down (the side that touched the pan should end up outside) and spoon about 1.5 tbsp filling in a line near the bottom edge. Fold the bottom over, fold in both sides and roll up tightly like a spring roll. Set seam side down and serve at room temperature.

Cook's tip

For 1 or 2 servings, beat one egg and use half. If the crêpes tear, the batter is too thick or the pan not hot enough; add 1 tbsp water. They are best eaten the day they are made at room temperature; leftovers keep wrapped in the fridge and need 10 seconds in the microwave.

Cooking it at camp

Make the coconut filling at home in a sealed box and carry the batter in a bottle in the cooler. At camp, use a small non-stick pan on a low burner flame behind a windscreen so the crêpes cook evenly.