Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Chendol (also spelled cendol) is the short green noodle that gives the famous South East Asian iced dessert its name. It is nothing more than mung bean flour and corn flour cooked with water into a thick, glossy paste, coloured and scented with pandan, then pushed through a colander so it falls into ice water in little tapered strands that set firm on contact.
The strands themselves are only faintly sweet and very slightly salty, with a soft, slippery, slightly springy bite and the grassy vanilla perfume of pandan. They are made to be served cold, heaped into a glass with shaved ice, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup, and they also make a pretty textural garnish on plated desserts and in dessert cups. Make them the day you want them, as they are at their best fresh.
Ingredients
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Weight Per Unit: 1510
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: batch of chendol noodles, about 1.5 kg drained, enough for 6 to 8 servings
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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100 |
3.5 ounces
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Mung Bean Flour
Mung bean flour, also sold as green bean flour or hoen kwe flour, is a fine white starch milled from dried mung beans. It sets into a soft, slightly springy, translucent jelly when cooked with water and is the traditional base for chendol noodles and many South East Asian jellied desserts.
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sifted |
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B
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100 |
3.5 ounces
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Corn Starch
Corn starch, cornstarch, cornflour or maize starch or maize is the starch derived from the corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel. Corn starch is a popular food ingredient used in thickening sauces or soups, and is used in making corn syrup and other sugars.
also sold as corn flour
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sifted |
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C
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45 |
1.6 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
caster
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D
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10 |
0.4 ounce
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Salt
Common salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in its natural form as a crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantities in seawater, where it is the main mineral constituent; the open ocean has about 35 grams (1.2 oz) of solids per litre, a salinity of 3.5%. Salt is essential for animal life, and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Salt is one of the oldest and most ubiquitous of food seasonings, and salting is an important method of food preservation.
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E
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1250 |
5.3 cups
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Water
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cold |
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F
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5 |
1 teaspoon
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Pandan Paste
Pandan paste is a concentrated flavouring made from the leaves of the pandan (screwpine) plant, usually coloured a deep green. It carries a sweet, grassy, vanilla-like aroma and is used a few drops at a time to flavour and colour South East Asian cakes, jellies and drinks.
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1510
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Recipe Calculator Tool
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Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Fill a large bowl with cold water and plenty of ice and set it under a colander with round holes, or under a chendol press. Have a ladle and a heatproof spatula ready. |
Water genuinely ice cold, or the strands will not set |
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2 |
Mix |
In a heavy saucepan, whisk A, B, C and D (mung bean flour, corn starch, caster sugar and salt) together while still dry, then whisk in E and F (water and pandan paste) a little at a time. |
Completely smooth and lump free before any heat is applied |
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3 |
Cook |
Place the pan over medium heat and stir constantly with a spatula, scraping the base and corners, as the mixture thickens. |
Cook it well: the paste turns from milky to translucent, thick and shiny, and holds the mark of the spatula |
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4 |
Press |
Working quickly while the mixture is hot, ladle it into the colander or chendol press held over the ice water and press it through so the strands drop straight into the bowl. |
Short green strands with tapered ends that firm up as soon as they hit the ice water |
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5 |
Set |
Leave the strands in the ice water for 10 to 15 minutes without stirring, adding more ice if the water warms up. |
Strands firm, slippery and holding their shape |
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6 |
Drain |
Lift the chendol out with a slotted spoon or tip it into a sieve and drain well, then keep it covered in a little fresh cold water in the fridge until serving. |
Drained but never dry; serve the same day |
Important Notes
This batch makes about 1.5 kg of drained chendol, enough for 6 to 8 glasses. The mixture must be cooked properly until it is thick and shiny before pressing, otherwise the strands break up in the water instead of setting. Press while the paste is still hot, as it stiffens fast in the pan. Serve chendol cold, with shaved ice, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup, or spoon it over dessert cups and plated desserts. Store the drained strands in the fridge covered with a little cold water and use them on the day they are made; they toughen and lose their soft bite after that.
Tools & Arrangements
Heavy based saucepan, balloon whisk, heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, ladle, colander with round holes or a chendol press, large mixing bowl, plenty of ice, slotted spoon or sieve, digital scales.
