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Kue pancong
Kue pancong: Betawi half-moon coconut and rice-flour cakes, crisp outside and custard-soft inside
Kue pancong is a Betawi breakfast cake you smell before you see: vendors on Jalan Sabang and around Pasar Senen pour a coconut and rice-flour batter into blackened half-moon moulds over charcoal from first light, and office workers buy them by the paper bag with their morning coffee. The edges turn crisp and toasty, the middle stays almost molten and tastes of fresh coconut, and a scatter of sugar goes on just before they are handed over. At home, a takoyaki pan, an aebleskiver pan or a cast-iron kue cubit mould does the job. Chef's tip: grated fresh or frozen coconut gives the chewy, fibrous bite that defines pancong; desiccated coconut alone makes them dry.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz rice flour
- 5 ½ oz grated coconutfresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 ¼ cups coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oilfor the mould
- 3 tbsp caster sugarto sprinkle
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 5 ½ oz rice flour, 5 ½ oz grated coconut and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Warm 1 ¼ cups coconut milk and ½ cup water in a small pan until steaming, then pour over the flour and whisk to a thick, pourable batter like double cream.
5 minStep 2: Leave the batter to rest for 10 minutes so the rice flour hydrates; it will thicken slightly.
10 minStep 3: Heat a takoyaki, aebleskiver or kue pancong pan over a medium-low heat and brush each hollow with a little 1 tbsp vegetable oil. It is ready when a drop of batter sizzles gently straight away.
3 minStep 4: Stir the batter, then fill each hollow to the top. Cover and cook for 6–8 minutes, until the edges are deep golden and crisp and the top has set but is still soft and wobbly in the very centre. Common mistake: turning up the heat to hurry them; the outside burns before the middle sets.
8 minStep 5: Lift the cakes out with a skewer, pair them up flat side to flat side if you like, and repeat with the rest of the batter, oiling the pan each time.
10 minStep 6: Sprinkle with 3 tbsp caster sugar while hot and eat straight away; they lose their crispness as they cool.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kue pancong take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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