I learned to make Ondeh Ondeh when I was 13 years old, in my Secondary 1 Home Economics class when I was studying in RGS. My Home Econs teacher taught more about cooking than anyone else (besides my own father).
She broke down things to simple steps and even though I did go through vigorous training in cakes during my late teens and early twenties, nobody taught me better than her.
Ondeh ondeh was the first dish I could make on my own without my parents’ help. And I make it exactly the same way till today.
Ingredients:
150g sweet potatoes, skinned
150g glutinous rice flour
100g gula melaka
20ml oil
20g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
Desiccated coconut
Pandan essence
Pandan leaves in the water for cooking the ondeh ondeh
Method:
- Steam the potato for 20 mins, and then mash with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients except gula melaka and the desiccated coconut.
- Add enough water for the mixture in (1) to bind together as a dough (not sticky). Knead until smooth.
- Divide dough and gula melaka into 30 portions. Then bury each gula melaka portion into each dough portion. Makes about 30 dumplings.
- Cook the dumplings in boiling water infused with pandan leaves and salt. They are cooked when they float. Transfer the cooked dumplings to ice water immediately. When dumplings are cooled, drain and coat them with desiccated coconut.
