Iced Cendol Latte
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for details.
This Iced Cendol Latte is the elevated version of the old-fashioned Iced Cendol Dawet. It features pandan jellies with palm sugar syrup, milk, and dollops of dalgona coffee.
It has been so hot lately that I couldn’t help but think of my previous Iced Cendol Dawet to my rescue. Lately, I saw this drink served along with coffee. They sound new to me, so I decided to try out this combination.
Since dalgona trend is coming back, I decided to whip my coffee into dalgona coffee. In case this is your first introduction to dalgona coffee, the truth is whipped coffee has been around for quite a long time. It is a latte drink that comes with a velvety smooth sweet coffee foam on top.
The texture of the coffee foam is reminiscent of the popular Korean street food snack called Dalgona. All it takes to get this delicious coffee foam is to whisk instant coffee granules, white granulated sugar, and hot water until fluffy. That’s it, easy right?
The layers of soft and chewy pandan jellies, palm sugar syrup, iced-cold milk and fluffy dalgona whip make for such a rich, refreshing pick me up, and is a delicious indulgence!
Soft vs Chewy Cendol
In Indonesia, cendol is usually made from rice flour or mung bean starch (hunkwe flour) as the main ingredients. The process of making cendol from rice flour and mung bean starch is the same, but the end result of the two may have different textures. Therefore, before making the recipe, you should know what kind of cendol you want.
- Rice Flour. In Indonesia, cendol is traditionally made using rice flour with a little bit of tapioca flour to give the chewy texture of the cendol. This cendol has a softer texture with less chewiness compared to the one made from mung bean starch.
- Mung Bean Starch. Cendol made from mung bean starch has a firmer, chewier, and crunchier texture compared to the one made with rice flour. However, cendol made from pure mung bean starch can be too hard, so cornstarch or tapioca flour is typically added to make it more tender.
For this recipe, I used cendol made from mung bean starch. However, if you love the softer texture, you can go to my Iced Cendol Dawet for the rice flour cendol recipe.
How to Make Dalgona Coffee
All it takes to get this deliciously coffee foam is to whisk instant coffee granules, white granulated sugar, and hot water into 1:1:1 ratio. So, if I use 2 tablespoons of instant coffee for one cup of Dalgona Coffee, it means you need to add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of hot water. Then, whisk the mixture with a whisk or a hand mixer to trap small air bubbles inside, creating a rich and sweet foam to put on your milk.
The Nescafe classic instant coffee works the best for making this dalgona coffee. I also highly recommend using a hand-mixer because doing it by hand will be a lot of work and take a longer time.
Tools to Make Cendol
In Southeast Asia, there are special tools or machines used to create the cendol strands. If you plan to make this recipe, you will need one of these tools below to make cendol.
- Cendol Press. This is my favorite tool to make cendol since it is easy to work with. It has two parts, the container with holes on the bottom and the presser to push the cooked cendol out through those holes into noodle strands.
- Potato Ricer. A potato ricer works great as a cendol press. Choose the right size of the opening so the strands will not be too thin or thick.
- Colander or Perforated Tray. You can use any tools with holes such as a colander or perforated tray. Simply place the cooked cendol dough and press it through the holes using a spatula or scrapper. That would do the trick.
- Strainer Ladle. You can also use a ladle that has holes in them. Cedol made with a strainer ladle is much shorter, but it does not alter the taste in any way.
- Plastic Bag or Zip-Lock Bag. If you don’t have any tools above, you can put the dough into a plastic bag. Cut off the tip of the bag and press the batter through it. This is my least favorite tool because the cooked dough is hot and it may burn your hand when holding the plastic bag. It also takes forever to finish it.
More Indonesian Desserts
While you are here, check out also these Indonesian dessert recipes!
- Klepon (Pandan Glutinous Rice Balls with Palm Sugar Filling)
- Putu Ayu (Steamed Pandan Coconut Cake)
- Biji Salak (Sweet Potato Balls with Palm Sugar Porridge and Coconut Milk)
- Pandan Gula Melaka Butter Cookies
- Pandan Coconut Ice Cream
Ingredients
Palm Sugar Syrup
- 10.5 oz (300 gr) palm sugar block/gula Jawa/gula Melaka
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) water
- 2 pandan leaves, knotted
Cendol
- 1/2 cup (60 gr) mung bean starch
- 1/2 cup (60 gr) cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 pandan leaves
- 3 cups (720 ml) water
- 1 tsp pandan extract
To Serve
- Ice cubes
- 3 cups (720 ml) milk
- 6 servings dalgona/whipped coffee
Instructions
Palm Sugar Syrup
- In a small saucepan, heat palm sugar, water, and pandan leaves on medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar fully melts. Let the mixture boils. Set aside and cool completely before using.
Cendol
- In a blender or food processor, blend pandan leaves and 1/2 cup water (120 ml) until smooth.
- Sift mung bean starch, cornstarch, and salt into a pan. Strain the pandan extract into the pan. Add about pandan paste and 1/2 cup water (120 ml). Stir the mixture until well combined with no lumps. Then, add the remaining 2 cups (480 ml) of water and stir until well combined.
- Heat the pan over low heat. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens and is translucent.
- When still hot, transfer the dough into the cendol maker. Squeeze out the paste over the top of the ice bath, ensuring the cendol is submerged in the ice water. Leave the cendol in the ice water for 15 minutes to firm up.
Assemble
- In serving glasses, drizzle in palm sugar syrup. Add ice cubes if desired. Drain the cendol and portion it out into each glass. Pour in the milk.
- Drop the dalgona coffee with a spoon or ice cream scoop on top. Serve immediately.
