Dadar gulung (literally “rolled pancake”) is a traditional sweet snack commonly found in marketplaces and street-side stalls (warung), especially in Java and Bali. It’s very popular and can also be found in neighbouring countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.
Dadar gulung is basically a thin pancake filled with sweet grated coconut. The pancake is prepared using a mixture of flour, salt, egg and water/coconut milk. This recipe, though, is for a vegan version, so I’ve omitted the egg. I’ve also used water instead of coconut milk, for a lighter version.
Traditionally, the batter is green because of natural coloring, obtained from pandan leaf and daun suji (Suji leaf or Dracaena angustifolia). Unfortunately, daun suji is not always available, so most of the time, it’s substituted with green food coloring that mimics the traditional color of the dish. Today, though, many people love experimenting with different colors to make it more attractive and interesting.
The highlight of this rolled pancake is the succulent unti, or the grated coconut filling. It’s sweet and juicy, and complements the unflavoured pancake beautifully. Hidden inside the soft pancake, the grated coconut cooked in palm sugar oozes with flavour and sweetness in every bite.
Enjoy dadar gulung in the morning or afternoon, accompanied by delicious hot drinks such as masala tea or kopi jahe rempah.
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Dadar Gulung: Rolled Pancake with Grated Coconut Filling (Vegan)
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 20 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Pan-fry
- Cuisine: Indonesian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Dadar gulung is a very common and popular sweet snack found all over Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, and is a rolled pancake stuffed with sweet grated coconut.
Ingredients
- 200 gr grated coconut
- 100 gr palm sugar, shaved
- 2 pandan leaves, cut in smaller pieces or knotted
- Salt
- 250 gr all purpose flour
- 0.5 tsp baking powder
- 700 ml water (100 ml for the coconut filling, 600 ml for the pancake)
- 1 tsp green coloring
- A few drops of cooking oil
Instructions
- For the unti (grated coconut filling): In a small saucepan, put the shaved palm sugar, pinch of salt, pandan leaves and 100 ml of water.
- Boil the mixture over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Sieve the liquid sugar to remove any impurities.
- In a medium-sized pan, combine liquid sugar and grated coconut and then cook over medium heat. Mix consistently to avoid burning.
- Cook for about 10 minutes until the mixture is well combined and most of the liquid has evaporated, but the mixture is still juicy and not dry. Set aside for later use.
- For the pancake: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and 600 ml of water.
- Whisk all the ingredients until well-mixed.
- Add the food colouring, and whisk again until the colour is well combined with the batter.
- Sieve the batter to remove any lumps.
- Prepare a non-stick pancake pan and a brush (I used an 8 cm pancake pan).
- Dip the brush in the oil and brush the pan lightly.
- Heat the pan over medium flame and scoop the batter using a ladle until it covers the pan. In this process, you may move your pan slightly to distribute the batter evenly.
- Cook until the edge of the pancake starts to detach from the pan and the surface of the pancake is done.
- Transfer the pancake onto a plate.
- Do the same thing for the rest of the batter until all the pancakes are finished.
- The finishing: Put one sheet of pancake on a flat plate (the smooth surface on the top), and add 1 tsp of grated coconut filling.
- Fold the bottom of the pancake up, followed by folding in the left and the right side (as if you want to fold an envelope), and then roll it up.
- Do the same thing with the rest of the pancake sheets.
- Dadar gulung is now ready to be enjoyed.
Notes
- For a delicious grated coconut filling (unti), if possible, use a fresh and young coconut.
- Don’t overcook the unti, or it will be dry. If that happens, add a little bit of water and cook it just until it is moist and juicy.
Keywords: Non-spicy, pandan, coconut
