Onde-Onde — sesame-coated mung-bean dumplings
Onde-onde are golden, sesame-crusted fritters made from a glutinous rice-flour dough filled with sweetened mung-bean paste, then deep-fried until the shell is crisp and the inside chewy. They are sold from snack carts across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, and share a clear ancestry with Chinese jian dui.
i. Origin & history
Onde-onde travelled with Chinese diaspora communities throughout Southeast Asia. The Chinese parent is jian dui (煎堆), a sesame ball from Cantonese yum cha that goes back at least to Tang-dynasty Chang'an.
Across the Malay archipelago the recipe took root and became indistinguishable from the local snack canon. Note that in Java, onde-onde sometimes also refers to klepon — the unfried green palm-sugar balls — which can confuse the visiting cook.
ii. Ingredients
Makes 16 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust
- 200 g glutinous rice flour
- 30 g rice flour
- 30 g sugar
- 180 ml warm water
- 150 g cooked mung-bean filling (sweetened)
- 80 g white sesame seeds
- 1 litre neutral oil for deep-frying
iii. Method
- Mix the two flours and sugar. Add warm water gradually, kneading to a smooth, soft, elastic dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 16 even balls. Flatten each in your palm, place a small spoon of mung-bean paste in the centre, gather the dough up around the filling and pinch closed into a smooth round.
- Wet each ball briefly in cold water, then roll in sesame seeds until coated. Press firmly so the seeds stick.
- Heat oil to 150 °C / 300 °F (lower than usual deep-frying — this gives the dough time to expand without burning the sesame). Fry 4-5 balls at a time for 8-10 minutes, gently pressing each ball against the side of the pan with a slotted spoon — this is how onde-onde puff hollow inside.
- Drain on kitchen paper. Eat warm — the chew is at its best within an hour.
iv. Tips & common mistakes
- Low and slow. Hot oil burns the sesame before the dough cooks through. Patience here is everything.
- Press the balls. The gentle pressing against the pan is what makes them inflate.
- Seal completely. A poorly-sealed onde-onde leaks filling and explodes in the oil.
v. Variations
Peanut-filled onde-onde are common in Singapore. Black-sesame filling is a popular modern variant. The Chinese jian dui can be filled with lotus-seed paste or red bean. Indonesian klepon is sometimes also called onde — same shape, different recipe.
vi. Common questions
What is onde-onde?
Onde-Onde is sesame-coated mung-bean dumplings, from indonesian & malaysian cuisine. They are sold from snack carts across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, and share a clear ancestry with Chinese jian dui
Where is onde-onde from?
Onde-Onde is from the indonesian & malaysian dessert tradition; the recipe and history are detailed above.
How long does onde-onde keep?
See the storage note in the Quick facts panel: Same day.