Wedang Ronde: Dessert Glutinous Rice Balls in Sweet Ginger Soup

Method23 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Ginger (200 g) Soup: Roast the ginger over the stove until it’s a bit charred, around 5 minutes each side. Let it cool, scrape the skin, and bruise.

   Roast ginger: each side · 5 minUses 200 g fresh ginger

2. 2

   Step 2: Put 1 lt of water in a cooking pan.

   Uses 1 l water for ginger broth

3. 3

   Step 3: Add the ginger, pandan leaves (2), palm sugar (100 g) and granulated sugar (3 tbsp).

   Uses measured ginger-broth water · roasted scraped bruised ginger · 2 pandan leaves, knotted · 100 g palm sugar · 3 tbsp granulated sugar

4. 4

   Step 4: Cook the soup until it boils, then lower the heat to medium low and continue cooking for about 15 minutes.

   Simmer ginger soup · 15 minUses ginger-pandan sweet broth mixture

5. 5

   Step 5: Turn off the heat and strain the cooked broth. Discard the used ginger and pandan leaves.

   Uses cooked infused ginger-pandan broth

6. 6

   Step 6: Set the soup aside.

   Uses clear strained ginger broth

7. 7

   Step 7: Peanut filling: Grind the peanuts and 1 tbsp granulated sugar in a grinder until fine, set aside.

   Uses 25 g roasted skinless peanuts for filling · 1 tbsp sugar

8. 8

   Step 8: Glutinous rice ball: Using a spoon, mix well: the glutinous flour, tapioca flour (1 tbsp) and a pinch of salt, in a bowl.

   Uses 200 g glutinous rice flour · 1 tbsp tapioca flour · 1 pinch salt for dough

9. 9

   Step 9: Gradually mix the warm water into the flour mixture, using up to the measured 120 ml as needed for a smooth dough. Avoid adding too much water.

   Uses dry rice-ball flour and salt mixture · Up to 120 ml warm water, added gradually as needed

10. 10

    Step 10: Knead the dough using your hand until the dough is smooth and there are no more sticky bits of flour.

    Uses hydrated rice-ball dough

11. 11

    Step 11: Divide the dough equally into 3 parts.

    Uses smooth rice-ball dough

12. 12

    Step 12: Add 2 drops of green food colouring to 1 part of the dough, then work on the dough until the dough turns smooth green.

    Uses first third of divided rice-ball dough · 2 drops green food colouring

13. 13

    Step 13: Do the same thing with the 2nd part of the dough using the pink food colouring.

    Uses second third of divided rice-ball dough · 2 drops pink red food colouring

14. 14

    Step 14: Leave the 3rd part of the dough as it is. This will result in white balls.

    Uses final third of divided rice-ball dough

15. 15

    Step 15: While working on the dough, bring the rice-ball boiling water to a boil in one pot. If using sugar-palm fruit (50 g), boil it in a separate pot of water for around 15 minutes, then drain, cool and slice it for serving.

    Optional sugar-palm fruit preparation · 15 minUses Water for boiling · 50 g sugar palm fruit (optional; boil, cool and slice before serving) · Water for optional sugar-palm fruit preparation (quantity unspecified; drain)

16. 16

    Step 16: Choose a little dough from one of the green, pink or white portions. Roll it into a small ball, press a hollow with your thumb, add a little peanut-sugar filling, then seal tightly and roll smooth.

    Uses a little green dough · a little pink dough · a little white dough · a little peanut-sugar filling

17. 17

    Step 17: Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to complete the batch of sealed balls.

    Uses first sealed filled rice ball · remaining green dough · remaining pink dough · remaining white dough · remaining peanut-sugar filling

18. 18

    Step 18: Put the sticky balls into the boiling water.

    Uses complete batch of filled rice balls · boiling water for rice balls

19. 19

    Step 19: Cook the balls until they float.

    Uses filled rice balls in boiling water

20. 20

    Step 20: Once the balls float, boil for another 3 minutes, until the dough is cooked through.

    Boil rice balls · 3 minUses floating filled rice balls

21. 21

    Step 21: Drain the balls until there’s no more water dripping.

    Uses fully cooked filled rice balls

22. 22

    Step 22: Divide the drained rice balls among serving bowls and add the reserved clear ginger soup. Add the prepared boiled, cooled and sliced sugar-palm fruit if using it.

    Uses drained cooked rice balls · reserved clear ginger broth · prepared cooled sliced sugar-palm fruit, if used

23. 23

    Step 23: Garnish with roasted peanuts and serve immediately.

    Uses assembled Wedang Ronde bowls · Roasted peanuts for garnish