Sweet potato Onde-Onde

It's been awhile since I've acknowledged my Malaysian Heritage in my blog entries. I'm extremely proud to be Malaysian...I love it for all its unique features and the many opportunities it's given me in terms of exploring cultures and most importantly; palate and flavors! The countless Indian spices, numerous Malay delicacies and impressive cooking techniques from the Chinese. Imagine all of them assimilated into one... and you have = Malaysia. Through the many centuries of living amongst other races; we've learnt to appreciate and incorporate various culinary inspirations to create authentic "Malaysian" dishes of our own.

ONde-Onde (pronounced: ohn-day, ohn-day)

I'm not certain how the name "onde-onde" came about...but I'm pretty sure it's origins are Malay. My sister and I used to call them "bombs".....i vaguely remember the reason being how they "exploded" with sweet syrup from the center in every bite.I took a 2 hour hunt in search of freshly grated coconut and returned home with none. I was disappointed to find that EVERY asian store I came across only stocked frozen strips of coconut, "You want GRATED?....you buy dessicated!" said the Vietnamese lady. And so I did.

Yan; my most dearest bestest buddy in the whole wide wide world! brought this to my attention. An ingenious idea by Carnation; coconut flavored evaporated milk! YAY!!! Good riddance to unhealthy portions of coconut milk + cream; I have found my waistline-friendly substitute.

10 oz sweet potato peeled, cooked and mashed
2 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
1 tin Coconut flavored evaporated milk
250gms desicated coconut (use freshly grated ones if you're lucky enough to find a bag)
3 pandan (screwpine leaves)
1 tsp salt
1 large chunk of gula melaka (Coconut palm sugar) chopped roughly

Blend pandan leaves with 1/3 tin of evaporated milk till leaves are complete ground. Mix mashed potatoes, flour and pandan mixture in a large bowl and knead till it form a workable dough. Add a little more milk if needed. Pour excess milk in a large deep bowl and empty the bag of dessicated coconut in. Sprinkle in the salt and toss well to combine.

Make onde onde balls by rolling them into tiny balls and pressing a piece of palm sugar into the center. Pinch the sides to close and roll them back into shape. Cook onde onde in batches of 6-8 balls in boiling water over the stove on medium heat. They float up when they are cooked. Strain and coat with coconut. They are best eaten warm.*sigh* How I wish I found grated coconut...it would have been sensational!
I was tempted to grab a fresh shell and grate it with a fork myself! *sigh* desperation does these things to you. *laughs*
Skip " mixing excess milk + coconut" step if you're using it freshly grated. I did it to help moisten the dry dessicated coconut grains.

Tags: tapioca sweet potato onde onde budget recipe