Thai Lod Chong Dessert (Cendol Recipe) Recipe
Thai Lod Chong, also known as Cendol, is a refreshing traditional Thai dessert featuring green pandan-flavored rice flour noodles served in creamy coconut milk and sweet coconut sugar syrup. This recipe takes about 4 hours 10 minutes, including setting time, and yields a cool, gooey, and delightfully sweet treat perfect for hot days.
- Prep Time: 3 hours 20 minutes (including limewater setting and prep)
- Cook Time: 50 minutes (cooking dough, syrup, and coconut milk)
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
Scale
Pandan Noodles
- 1 cup rice flour
- 5 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 3.5 ounces pandan leaves, chopped
- 5 cups water (for limewater and pandan water)
- 3 tablespoons calcium hydroxide
Coconut Milk Mixture
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 pandan leaves
Sugar Syrup
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Prepare Limewater: Stir calcium hydroxide into 5 cups of water until dissolved. Let it sit undisturbed for 3 hours to settle, then carefully pour off 5 cups of the clear limewater leaving the sediment behind.
- Make Pandan Water: Blend 4 cups of the clear limewater with chopped pandan leaves until well mixed. Set aside 1 cup of the limewater for later use.
- Strain Pandan Mix: Strain the blended pandan limewater mixture through cheesecloth into a bowl to extract a smooth pandan water.
- Mix Flour Dough: In a large bowl, combine tapioca starch and rice flour. Slowly knead in some pandan water to form a dough, then gradually add the remaining pandan water until fully incorporated.
- Cook Pandan Dough: Transfer pandan water mixture to a pot and cook over the lowest heat, stirring constantly. After about 10 minutes, the mixture thickens and clumps.
- Add Reserved Limewater: Slowly add the reserved 1 cup limewater in increments every 3 minutes while stirring continuously for 30 minutes. The dough will turn bright green and gooey.
- Form Noodles: Press the dough through a lod chong press directly into ice-cold water to form the characteristic green noodles.
- Prepare Sugar Syrup: In a saucepan over low-medium heat, combine water and coconut sugar. Simmer for 3–5 minutes until the syrup slightly thickens.
- Cook Coconut Milk: In another saucepan over low heat, add coconut milk, salt, and pandan leaves. Cook gently for about 3 minutes to infuse flavors, then remove pandan leaves.
- Serve: Drain the pandan noodles from the ice water. In serving bowls, add ice, then noodles, coconut milk mixture, and sugar syrup to taste. Optionally, top with jackfruit, corn, or preferred toppings. Enjoy this refreshing Thai dessert!
Notes
- Calcium hydroxide acts as a key ingredient for texture and color, so ensure you use food-grade powdered calcium hydroxide safe for cooking.
- Constant stirring when cooking pandan dough is essential to prevent lumps and achieve the correct chewy, gooey texture.
- Using fresh pandan leaves enhances flavor and vibrant green color; frozen leaves can be used as a substitute but may yield less intensity.
- The lod chong press is a specialized tool for shaping noodles; if unavailable, a sieve or noodle press with similar holes can suffice.
- Adjust sugar syrup quantity to your preferred sweetness level.
- Serve immediately after assembling for best texture and freshness.
Keywords: Thai dessert, Lod Chong, Cendol, pandan noodles, coconut milk dessert, tropical dessert, sweet syrup, traditional Thai recipe
