Biji Salak
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
This recipe was given to me by Nur Hasrat Thamrin as it’s the one she likes to use. She explained that these sweet potato balls have a slightly chewy texture and are delicious served with palm sugar syrup and a drizzle of creamy coconut milk. They’re popular during Ramadan and are delicious for dessert or for an afternoon snack. If you can’t find palm sugar, dark muscovado sugar or dark soft brown sugar can be substituted.
Ingredients
- sweet potatoes 500g, peeled
- tapioca flour 100g
- salt 1/4 teaspoon
- palm sugar (or dark brown or dark mxscovado sugar) 250g
- water 100ml
- coconut milk 400ml
- pandan leaf one piece
- salt 1/2 teaspoon
Steam the sweet potatoes for 15-20 minutes until they are tender. In a medium bowl, mash until smooth while still warm. Add tapioca flour and salt and knead the dough by hand until fully incorporated. If the mixture is too wet and sticky, add 1 – 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour but try not to add more than that.Roll the dough into thin long logs, cut them into small segments, and roll the segments into 2cm-3cm diameter balls. In a large pan, bring 1 – 1 ½ litres of water to the boil. When the water reaches boiling point, put the sweet potato balls in the water. Cook over medium heat until the sweet potato balls float to the top, about 6-10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sweet potato balls and drain them. Set aside. In a saucepan, boil the sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, water and half the pandan leaf. When it reaches boiling point, let it simmer for about 5 minutes until the syrup is quite thick. In another saucepan, boil the coconut milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the remaining pandan leaf until it reaches boiling point. Let simmer gently for about 5 minutes until the coconut milk is slightly shiny and a little bit of oil separates from the coconut milk on the side. To serve, ladle some sweet potato balls and palm sugar syrup into a serving bowl. Drizzle with a generous amount of coconut milk. Note: One piece of pandan leaf cut in 2cm lengths is sufficient for this recipe. Use half for the sugar and the other half for the coconut milk.