Dadar Gulung – Indonesian Coconut Pancakes

These delicious rolled coconut pancakes are known as Dadar Gulung in Indonesia. Their eye-catching green pancake wrapper is flavoured with pandan extract and filled with shredded coconut sweetened with golden palm sugar.

Why We Love This

Dadar gulung are a popular street food snack in Indonesia. So it’s a real treat to be able to can enjoy them anytime at home as a tasty snack or eye-catching dessert!

Family and friends will love the bright green colour, and it looks even better when served up with bright red strawberries and fresh cream alongside them.

Related: Serani Kuah / Matcha Pancakes

What is Dadar Gulung? 

A sweet dessert from the streets of Indonesia, dadar gulung translates to rolled pancake. The pancakes are infused with pandan extract and coconut milk, while the filling – known as unti kelapa – is a decadent mix of coconut, palm sugar and pandan leaf (duan pandan).

You’ll usually find these at morning markets throughout Indonesia. Look out for the bright green pile, usually found alongside Klepon, serabi kuah and Kuih Seri Muka. They go great after a feast of Indonesian gado gado salad or nasi gila.

We loved eating these most mornings in Bali, and fun fact – this was one of the first Indonesian recipes Laura ever cooked. Laura actually speaks Bahasa Indonesia, originally studying to become an Indonesian teacher, and has a special love for the cuisine and culture.

What You’ll Need

A few simple ingredients similar to pancakes – egg, flour, water and salt. You’ll also need some common Indonesian ingredients:

• Pandan Leaves and Flavouring: Sometimes called the ‘Vanilla of the East’, pandan is a staple addition to both savoury and sweet cooking. Pandan flavouring is great to have on hand as it lasts for ages and you can store it in the fridge. If you can find pandan leaves fresh, get them! The scent and aroma they infuse is amazing. We buy them fresh or frozen from our local Asian supermarket and make fresh pandan extract when we need it. You can also pick up the artificial flavouring online.
• Palm Sugar – This is usually a brown sugar that comes in a solid shape that can be chopped, grated and melted. You’ll want to try and find gula jawa (the Indonesian palm sugar) or gula melaka (Malaysian palm sugar). Alternatives can be regular palm sugar, coconut sugar or brown sugar.
• Shredded Coconut – If you can shred or grate fresh coconut, this will taste best. If not, use any dried, shredded or desiccated coconut. This should be easy to find at most supermarkets as well as frozen or fresh at Asian supermarkets.

How to make Indonesian Coconut Pancakes:

Making the Coconut Filling:

1. In a medium saucepan, place shredded coconut, palm sugar, 1/2 cup water and knotted pandan leaves. Cook filling over low to medium heat.
2. Keep mixing until all the palm sugar has melted and the coconut turns a beautiful golden brown. This should take around 5 – 10 minutes.
3. Remove pandan leaves (if used) and transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.

Cooking the Pancakes:

4. Grab a large mixing bowl and add your flour, coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, pandan paste, egg and pinch of salt. Whip it together with a whisk, until the batter is quite thin like French crepes.
5. Add a dash of vegetable oil to a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Ladle in approximately 1/3 cup of pancake mix to the pan. Allow it to cook slowly on one side. Look for the pancake to turn a slightly darker shade of green all over – then you know it’s ready.
6. Add a few spoonfuls of the coconut filling near the bottom of the pancake.

How to fold the pancakes:

7. Similar to making rice paper rolls, start with the edge closest to you, lifting it up and over the coconut filling.
8. Fold in each side, making sure they’re straight.
9. Finally, roll the pancake up to the top of the plate. Repeat with the remaining mixture and serve!

Wandercook’s Tips

• When you’re ready pop your coconut filling onto your pancakes – give it a mix through to make sure the sugar syrup isn’t all at the bottom.
• Fill and roll the pancakes straight away to avoid them sticking or tearing after they cool down.
• If your palm sugar is hard, pop it in microwave for short bursts on 10-20 secs at a time to soften. Then try chopping/grating it again.

FAQs

Variations

• There’s a chocolate and banana version of this recipe called ‘Coklat Pisang Dadar Gulung’. Use banana instead of coconut filling, and flavour the pancake with chocolate or cocoa instead of pandan!
• While gula merah (brown sugar) is traditionally used in Indonesia, you can also use other varieties such as gula melaka, gula jawa, coconut sugar or palm sugar.
• Add a stick of cinnamon to the coconut filling while cooking for additional flavour. Take it out when you remove the pandan leaves.

Ready to make more sweet snacks or desserts? Try these next:

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