Serabi (Coconut Rice Pancakes)
Soft, lacy rice flour pancakes leavened just enough to bubble as they cook in a hot clay pan, fragrant with coconut milk and pandan. Served warm with a pool of dark palm sugar syrup, they are Java's favourite street breakfast.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the palm sugar syrup
In a small saucepan, melt the palm sugar with the water and 1 over low heat, stirring until dissolved. Simmer 5 minutes, then strain out any grit and the . Stir in the thick coconut milk and a pinch of salt, and simmer gently for 5 more minutes until lightly thickened, like a loose syrup. Set aside warm.
- 150 g palm sugar
- 200 ml water
- 1
- 150 ml thick coconut milk
- 1 pinch salt
✅ Done when: the syrup is smooth, glossy, and coats the back of a spoon
Warm the coconut milk
In another pan, warm the thin coconut milk with 1 and the sugar over low heat just until the sugar dissolves, do not let it boil. Remove the and let the milk cool to lukewarm, about 35–40°C (95–104°F); if it is too hot it will kill the yeast in the next step.
- 500 ml thin coconut milk
- 1
- 2 tbsp sugar
✅ Done when: the milk is lukewarm, like warm bathwater, not hot to the touch
Mix and rest the batter
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Cook the pancakes
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Repeat with remaining batter
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Serve warm with syrup
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Make the palm sugar syrup
In a small saucepan, melt the palm sugar with the water and 1 over low heat, stirring until dissolved. Simmer 5 minutes, then strain out any grit and the . Stir in the thick coconut milk and a pinch of salt, and simmer gently for 5 more minutes until lightly thickened, like a loose syrup. Set aside warm.
- 150 g palm sugar
- 200 ml water
- 1
- 150 ml thick coconut milk
- 1 pinch salt
✅ Done when: the syrup is smooth, glossy, and coats the back of a spoon
Warm the coconut milk
In another pan, warm the thin coconut milk with 1 and the sugar over low heat just until the sugar dissolves, do not let it boil. Remove the and let the milk cool to lukewarm, about 35–40°C (95–104°F); if it is too hot it will kill the yeast in the next step.
- 500 ml thin coconut milk
- 1
- 2 tbsp sugar
✅ Done when: the milk is lukewarm, like warm bathwater, not hot to the touch
Mix and rest the batter
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Cook the pancakes
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Repeat with remaining batter
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve warm with syrup
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The Story Behind the Dish
Serabi is one of Indonesia's oldest known pancakes, made from rice flour long before wheat flour became common in Java. Street vendors still cook it the traditional way, in small clay pans set over charcoal braziers, which give the bottom a faint smoky, toasted flavour that a modern stove can only approach.
Two main styles exist across the island: a thinner, savoury version eaten plain or with a light sauce, and the sweeter coconut version topped with palm sugar syrup that became popular as a breakfast and snack food. Over time it spread from home kitchens to morning markets, where it remains a beloved, inexpensive treat.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Serabi is famous as one of the most traditional Javanese pancakes, prized for its lacy, bubbly texture and the way simple rice flour and coconut milk turn into something delicate and fragrant.
💡 Fun Fact
The little holes on top of a good serabi are considered a sign of a well-fermented batter and a well-seasoned clay pan.
Java, especially West Java (Bandung) and Central Java (Solo)
-6.92°S, 107.62°E
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