Ondeh Ondeh, sweet potato poppers

Off green ondeh ondeh because the sweet potato was orange to start with.

' Ondeh ondeh : A Malaysian  snack, similar to a sweet potato popper, encased with palm sugar. It looks like a green fur ball dusted with grated coconut and is terribly addictive.'

Ever since a sweet potato was found lurking in the fridge, the idea of making ondeh ondeh gripped me. For an entire week, I assembled my stash of pandan leaves,  gula melaka and  glutinous rice while valiantly warding off the urge to make a couple of tiny edible balls that requires so much work.

But after acquiescing  to my inner voice, out popped 12 lovely  ondeh ondeh, and better still, without the  heavy chewiness  of store bought ondehs.

Now, I only have two lingering questions :

Should it be an 'ondeh ondeh' or a 'ondeh ondeh'? If one such snack is 'ondeh ondeh' , will two be 'ondeh ondeh ondeh' or 'ondehs' ? Beats me!

Here's what I did to make 12 ondeh ondeh balls.

Adapted from <http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2010/01/ondeh-ondeh-with-sweet-potatoes.html> .

Ingredients

250 g  sweet potato , steamed and mashed

1 Tbsp pandan juice extracted from ground up pandan leaves / 1 t pandan paste

75g glutinous rice flour

75 g Gula Melaka (palm sugar), 12 small cubes

75 g Grated Coconut

1 T water ( as needed )

A pinch of salt

Method

Microwave the potato, covered, for about 10-15 minutes, depending on size. When a skewer is able to pierce through the tuber, it is ready. Cool well.

Skin potato and  mash the potatoes in a potato riser.

Combine the sweet potato with glutinous rice flour  and pandan extract. Use water sparingly, if needed. Knead  to form a soft dough. The texture should be like playdoh. Rest the dough for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the grated coconut with a pinch of salt and microwave for about 1 minute. Let cool completely.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Make balls of  dough ( 12 portions in all )  and flatten centre with a finger .

Encase the balls  with palm sugar and roll to form a smooth ball.

Cook the ondeh ondeh in the boiling water. Ondeh  is ready when it floats  to  the surface. Let it bob in the boiling water for half a minute.

Remove balls with a slotted spoon. Shake off excess water.

 Roll the ondeh ondeh on the plate of  grated coconut and serve immediately.

Because of the coconut, it is preferable that you consume the ondeh ondeh on the same day.