Kueh Dadar

Kueh Dadar is one of my favourite SE Asian treats. It is a thin, pandan-flavoured crepe that holds a sweet and slightly smoky filling of shredded coconut, gula melaka, and pandan juice. It is one of the more accessible Malaysian kuehs - not too glutinous and more familiar in texture and taste.

My favourite of all kuehs, though, has to be Putu Piring, or Kueh Tutu - rice flour, coconut, and gula melaka steamed to perfection in odd funnel-shaped moulds that look like little conical hats. The best ones I have ever eaten were found at a roadside stall outside a residential street in Melaka - a place I would never have found without the aid of a knowledgeable local. They were the size of my palm, and had a subtle crunch from the slightly caramelized sugar. Amazing!

Kueh Dadar

Filling:

120ml Water
120g Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar), broken into pieces
60g Sugar
4 Pandan Leaves, torn into short strips
1 cup Coconut, shredded
Pinch of Salt

Batter:

1 Egg
130g All-Purpose Flour
50g Tapioca Flour
480ml thin Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp Oil
2 Tbsp Pandan Juice
Pinch of Salt
* Optional* Few drops of green Pandan colouring

Filling:

In a saucepan, boil together water, Gula Melaka, sugar, and pandan leaves, until the sugars dissolve. Strain the syrup, and simmer over low heat until thickened.

Add the shredded coconut and salt, and cook until almost dry.

Batter:

Whisk egg lightly in a bowl. Blend in flour, tapioca flour, salt, coconut milk, oil, pandan juice, salt, and colouring, if using. Combine well. Strain the batter to remove lumps.

Heat a non-stick pan over low-medium heat. Pour 1 Tbsp of batter into the centre of the pan. Tilt and swirl the pan to form a circular crepe. Fry for about 3 minutes until set.

Slip crepe onto a plate, and place 1 tsp of filling in a line along the centre of the crepe. Fold down a bit of the top and bottom of the crepe; then, roll up. Repeat with remaining batter and filling.