Pandan crepes with coconut filling

Light and delicious, this crêpe with coconut filling, called kuih dadar, is popular throughout Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. The secret lies in the batter, which is redolent of pandan juice, thus making the crêpe rather special in both looks and its luscious tropical flavour.

Pandan crepes with coconut filling. Credit: Mark Roper / Murdoch Books

• serves

  8-10

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 10 frozen pandan leaves or 2 fresh, thinly sliced
• 1 large spinach leaf, chopped (see Note)
• 1 cup (150 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) milk, plus extra as needed
• 2 tsp butter, melted
• Neutral oil or butter, for frying

Coconut filling

• 3 pandan leaves, knotted
• 1 cup (150 g) coarsely grated palm sugar (or jaggery)
• 2 cups (180 g) desiccated coconut or freshly grated coconut

Coconut sauce

• ½ cup (125 ml) coconut milk
• 2 pandan leaves, knotted
• 1–2 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

Instructions

1. To make the batter, place the pandan and spinach leaf in a blender with 1 cup (250 ml) water and blend on high for a minute. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl, squeezing the solids to extract as much green juice as possible. Discard the solids.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl and whisk in the egg, milk, butter, a pinch of salt and the strained pandan juice. Stir the batter until smooth, adding a little extra milk if it’s too thick; the batter should have a thin consistency. Strain through a sieve and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, for the filling, combine the pandan leaves and palm sugar with 1½ cups (375 ml) water in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until sugar is melted, then add the coconut and a pinch of salt. Stir well, then discard pandan leaves and set aside to cool.
4. For the sauce, combine all the ingredients with ½ cup (125 ml) water and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Gradually bring to the boil, stirring frequently. Cool before use.
5. Heat a 15–20 cm (6–8 inch) crêpe or non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Wipe with a little oil or butter, then ladle in ½ cup (125 ml) batter, swirling quickly to the edges. Cook gently for 1 minute, then flip and cook the other side until set (see Note). Remove to a plate, and repeat with remaining batter, stacking the crêpes as you go. To serve, put 2–3 tablespoons of filling in each crêpe, tuck the edges in and roll into a small cigar-shape. Serve with a spoonful of coconut sauce.

Note

• The spinach is purely for colour; you can also use green food colouring.
• It is best not to overcook the crêpes as the batter is one that turns firm easily. As for the filling, freshly grated coconut makes a vast difference to the result, although I’ve used desiccated coconut when fresh coconuts are not available.

Recipe and image from Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class by Tony Tan, photography by Mark Roper (Murdoch Books, $59.99).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.