Biji Salak: Sweet Potato & Palm Sugar Dessert (Vegan)

Method21 steps · about 1 hr 50 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Steam the skin-on sweet potatoes (500 g) for about twenty minutes until tender.

   Steam sweet potatoes · 20 minUses 500 g sweet potatoes

2. 2

   Step 2: Peel the skin and mash the sweet potatoes.

   Uses Tender steamed sweet potatoes

3. 3

   Step 3: Add the salt (¼ tsp).

   Uses Peeled mashed sweet potatoes · ¼ tsp salt

4. 4

   Step 4: Add the tapioca starch (130 g) gradually while kneading, and continue kneading until the dough is not sticky.

   Uses Salted sweet-potato mash · 130 g tapioca starch

5. 5

   Step 5: Form into small 2 cm balls.

   Uses Kneaded sweet-potato tapioca dough

6. 6

   Step 6: Set the balls aside while waiting for the sugar soup to be ready.

   Uses Formed two-centimetre sweet-potato balls

7. 7

   Step 7: Put the litre of water (1 litre), palm sugar (200 g), granulated sugar (3 tbsp), soup pinch of salt (1 pinch) and two pandan leaves in a medium-sized pot.

   Uses 1 litre water for palm-sugar soup · 200 g palm sugar · 3 tbsp sugar · 1 pinch salt for palm-sugar soup · 2 pandan leaves

8. 8

   Step 8: Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the aroma from the pandan leaves permeates the soup, around 30 minutes.

   Simmer sugar soup · 30 minUses Palm-sugar soup mixture

9. 9

   Step 9: When the syrup is done, sieve the mixture in a clean pot and discard the pandan leaves.

   Uses Cooked palm-sugar soup

10. 10

    Step 10: Put back on the stove and add the sweet potato balls.

    Uses Strained palm-sugar soup · Prepared sweet-potato balls

11. 11

    Step 11: Cook for about fifteen minutes until the small sweet-potato balls are cooked through.

    Cook with balls · 15 minUses Sweet-potato balls in palm-sugar soup

12. 12

    Step 12: Mix the tapioca starch (20 g) with 3 tbsp of room temperature water and gradually pour into the soup.

    Uses Cooked sweet-potato-ball soup · 20 g tapioca starch · 3 tablespoons room-temperature water for palm-sugar soup slurry

13. 13

    Step 13: Stir the soup gently until it thickens, around 5 minutes.

    Thicken palm-sugar soup gently · 5 minUses Sweet-potato-ball soup with tapioca slurry

14. 14

    Step 14: Turn off the heat.

    Uses Thickened sweet-potato-ball soup

15. 15

    Step 15: Put coconut milk (400 ml), the sauce half-teaspoon salt (0.5 tsp) and one pandan leaf in a small saucepan.

    Uses 400 ml coconut milk · 0.5 tsp salt · 1 pandan leaf

16. 16

    Step 16: Cook over medium low heat.

    Uses Coconut-sauce mixture

17. 17

    Step 17: Mix the tapioca starch (1 tsp) with the 2 tbsp of room temperature water.

    Uses 1 tsp tapioca starch · 2 tbsp water

18. 18

    Step 18: Slowly pour the tapioca starch into the coconut sauce until it thickens.

    Uses Heated coconut-sauce mixture · Coconut-sauce tapioca slurry

19. 19

    Step 19: Stir regularly until the sauce is done, around 10 minutes.

    Cook and stir coconut sauce until finished · 10 minUses Coconut sauce with tapioca slurry

20. 20

    Step 20: Remove the pandan leaves.

    Uses Cooked coconut sauce with pandan

21. 21

    Step 21: Serve biji salak in individual dessert bowls, drizzling the coconut milk sauce on each bowl.

    Uses Thickened sweet-potato balls in palm-sugar soup · Finished coconut sauce with pandan removed