Soft, spongy coconut rice pancakes cooked in a small skillet, drizzled with palm sugar-ginger syrup.
Serabi is a traditional Indonesian pancake made from rice flour and coconut milk, cooked in small, deep, cast-iron or clay pans that give it a distinctive spongy center and slightly crisp, lacy edge. The batter, thinned with coconut milk and left to rest, produces a texture unlike a Western pancake — closer to a soft, pillowy crumpet with tiny air bubbles running through it. A syrup called kinca, made from palm sugar (gula jawa) melted with pandan leaf and water, is the classic topping for serabi, poured warm over the pancakes right before serving. This recipe adds fresh ginger to the syrup, a common home variation that gives it a little warmth and spice alongside the deep caramel notes of the palm sugar. Served warm, straight from the pan, serabi is a beloved West Javanese street snack and breakfast food, sold from small stalls where you can watch the pancakes cook one by one in their individual pans.
Serves 4
Whisk rice flour, all-purpose flour and yeast together. Gradually whisk in 1.5 cups coconut milk, sugar and salt until smooth. Cover and let rest 30 minutes until slightly bubbly.
Stir in the remaining coconut milk to loosen the batter slightly; it should be pourable but still fairly thick.
Combine palm sugar, water, pandan leaves and ginger in a small saucepan. Simmer 8-10 minutes until slightly thickened and syrupy. Strain and keep warm.
Heat a small, deep nonstick pan (or a regular small skillet) over medium-low heat and lightly oil it. Pour in a ladle of batter, swirling slightly to coat the sides. Cover and cook 4-5 minutes until the center is set and bubbly and the edges are lightly golden.
Keep the heat gentle and covered — serabi cooks mostly by trapped steam, and rushing it with high heat browns the bottom before the center sets.
Remove and repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm, drizzled generously with the ginger palm sugar syrup.
Let the batter rest a full 30 minutes; this is what gives serabi its characteristic small air bubbles and spongy texture.
Use a deep, small pan if you have one — the depth is what helps form the pancake's distinct dome shape and thick, custardy center.
Cook covered over gentle heat; serabi relies on trapped steam to set the center evenly without burning the bottom.
Top with shredded young coconut and a drizzle of the syrup for the classic serabi kuah presentation.
Make a savory version by omitting the sugar and topping with sambal and shredded chicken instead of syrup.
Use dark brown sugar if palm sugar isn't available, though the flavor will be less caramel-forward and more simply sweet.
Best eaten fresh and warm. Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days and reheat briefly in a covered pan over low heat; the texture is noticeably better fresh than reheated.
Serabi has been a traditional West Javanese snack for generations, originally cooked over charcoal in small clay pans, and remains a common street food and home breakfast across Indonesia, particularly in Bandung and Solo where regional variations are especially well known.
Dark brown sugar is the closest widely available substitute, though it lacks the distinct caramel-molasses depth of real palm sugar (gula jawa).
The heat is likely too high, cooking the outside faster than the center — lower the heat and keep the pan covered so steam can finish cooking the middle evenly.
Yes, though the pancakes will be thinner and less domed than traditional serabi, which relies on a deep pan to trap steam and build height.
Per serving (180g / 6.3 oz) · 4 servings total
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