5x sweet Indonesian snacks
In Indonesia, they’re not just great at rendang, gado gado and satay—they’re also stars when it comes to sweet snacks. Spekkoek is a crowd favorite, but that’s not the only thing the local toko has to offer. So today, a little ode to some of our lesser-known favorites.
Cendol (or tjendol)
Sweet, sweeter, sweetest. That’s the best way to describe cendol. It’s a cold, super-sweet drink made with sugar (syrup) and coconut. A lovely change from your usual iced coffee or milkshake. The green strands may look a little scary, but they’re not.
Kue lapis
You’ll recognize this snack by its fluorescent pink-and-green color and pudding-like texture. It gets that texture because it’s made with rice flour and tapioca flour. Kue lapis is even more delicious because, just like with spekkoek, you can delightfully peel the layers apart.
Klepon
These are round green balls covered in coconut. Their dazzling green color doesn’t come from radioactive radiation, but from pandan. The balls are made from glutinous rice and filled with liquid palm sugar. They’re somewhat comparable to Japanese mochi, but have a softer texture. Klepon is best eaten warm.
Dadar gulung
We can never get enough pandan, because this snack is bright green too. These delicious pandan pancakes are filled with coconut and palm sugar. You can often find them at the toko, but you can also make them yourself with this recipe.
Roti kukus
“More airy than any sponge cake,” according to the lady at my local toko. The steamed cake has a delicious vanilla flavor, and a marbled effect is often created with cocoa powder, but there are also green varieties with—you guessed it—pandan.
Selamat makan!
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