Gemblong (Indonesian Caramel-coated Sticky Rice Cake)

Gemblong  /gem-blong/ is a kind of traditional Indonesian cake that belongs to the group of ‘market munchies’ (Indonesian = jajanan pasar). It is made from glutinous rice flour, which is kneaded until smooth and then shaped into an oval shape and flattened.  Then the shaped dough is deep-fried and coated with palm sugar caramel. This caramel is used to coat the fried cakes and mix them well until all the sugar in the caramel becomes cooled, which then gives crusted textured coat on the cakes.

This cake is very popular among the people of Sundanese, Javanese, and Betawi (Jakarta today). However, it is not known clearly from which area the cake is originated.  In the area of ​​East Java and Central Java, gemblong is known as “getas”.  Although the taste is quite similar, getas is made from black rice flour with white sugar coating, while gemblong is made of white sticky rice flour with palm sugar coating. Fried sticky rice cake that has not been coated with palm sugar can also be eaten right away. It's savory and tasty. I even ate 3-4 plain cakes during the process of making this gemblong.

Traditional cakes like gemblong are usually made from fresh ingredients.  Gemblong itself is quite favored by many because of its good taste, the ingredients are easy to find, as well as the making process.  You can find gemblong in any traditional markets, and you know what? It’s very cheap. With only Rp 2,000 you can already buy this cake and enjoy the sweet-savory sensation while eating it.

Gemblong (Indonesian Caramel-coated Sticky Rice Cake)

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·         200g glutinous/sticky rice flour

·         100g grated fresh coconut (long thread is fine) (I use 50g)

·         125 ml warm thin coconut milk

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         Vegetable oil for frying

Caramel coating:

·         150g Javanese palm sugar

·         50g sugar

·         25 ml water

·         2 screwpine leaves, tied

Directions:

1.       Combine glutinous rice, flour, grated coconut, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in the warm coconut milk gradually and mix with your hand to get fairly soft, pliable dough.

2.       Knead for a few minutes until smooth.  Take about 30g of dough, roll it to make an oval shape and put it to flatten about ½ inch thickness. Continue until all the dough have been shaped.

3.       Deep fry the dough on medium-low heat for about 3-4 minutes, flip once. Remove and drain the excess oil on absorbent paper. Set aside and let cool.

4.       In a non-stick pan,  combine all sugar, water, and screwpine leaves. Bring to a boil and continue stirring until thick and the surface is full of large bubbles.  Lower the heat and add in the fried cakes and toss them fast until the sugar mixture caramelized on cakes. Transfer cakes onto a plate and let them cool until the caramel coating is set.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         200g tepung ketan putih

·         100g kelapa parut (saya memakai 50g)

·         125 ml santan encer hangat

·         ½ sdt garam

·         Minyak

Besta:

·         150g gula Jawa (gula merah)

·         50g gula pasir

·         25 ml air

·         2 lembar daun pandan, simpulkan

Cara:

1.       Campur tepung ketan putih, kelapa parut, dan garam. Aduk rata. Tuangkan santan sedikit demi sedikit sambil diuleni dengan tangan sampai membentuk adonan yang bisa dipulung.

2.       Ambil sedikit adonan (sekitar 30 g), bentuk oval dan pipihkan setebal 1 cm. Lakukan sampai semua adonan habis.

3.       Goreng dalam minyak yang banyak dengan api kecil-sedang sekitar 3-4 menit sampai matang. Angkat dan tiriskan untuk menghilangkan kelebihan minyak.

4.       Untuk membuat besta: panaskan gula merah, gula pasir, air dan daun pandan dengan api kecil sambil terus diaduk sampai kental, berbusa, dan berserabut.  Masukkan gemblong yang sudah digoreng.  Aduk cepat sampai gemblong terbalur besta gula. Angkat dan biarkan dingin sampai gula mengering.