Vegan Indonesian Sweet Pumpkin Soup: Kolak Labu Kuning

Last Updated on October 14, 2024 by Chef Mireille

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If you’re looking for a delicious comforting dessert that’s both vegan and gluten-free, this Kolak Labu Kuning, also known as sweet pumpkin soup, is a must-try!

Made with tender pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and ripe plantain, this Indonesian dessert is a creamy, sweet dish that’s perfect for satisfying your cravings. The rich coconut milk base infused with fragrant palm sugar and pandan leaves brings a tropical twist that will transport your taste buds straight to Southeast Asia. 

This Vegan dessert that’s also gluten free is a great option to add to your holiday table, utilizing seasonal autumn produce like pumpkin and sweet potatoes. In some versions, cassava, banana (pisang) and purple sweet potato can also be added.

Kolak Labu Kuning is a popular dessert served during the Iftar meal during Ramadan, where it is traditionally served either room temperature or chilled.

Indonesian food may be unfamiliar to you, but it has many similarities with both Thai food and Malaysian food. In fact, you can find a simplied Thai version of this same dessert here with this Thai Pumpkin Dessert.

Before we get to the recipe, here are some other delicious Veggie Based Desserts (some also being 100% plant based desserts) you might also like to try!

Veggie Desserts

• Pain Patate – Haitian Sweet Potato Pudding
• Thai Stewed Pumpkin
• Sweet Potato Cheesecake Pie
• Yuca Cake Hondurena

History Time 📖

While many people know about Thailand due to the popularity of Thai food in the west, Indonesian cuisine and culture is not as popular. I grew up with Indonesian cuisine and culture because my family is from Suriname. Since both Suriname and Indonesia were both colonized by the Dutch, there is a lot of Indonesian influence on the multi cultural cuisine of Suriname.

In the 1800′;s after slavery ended, many Indonesians were brought to Suriname as indentured servants and they form a vibrant part of Surinamese society.

Indonesia’s rich culinary heritage is a reflection of its diverse history and geography. As an archipelago of over 17,000 islands, Indonesia has been influenced by various cultures over centuries. In addition to Chinese and Indian influence, there is also a lot of Arab influence as Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world.

The colonizing Dutch has also influenced the cuisine – one of the reasons you’ll find cheese in many recipes.

Traders came from these countries who brought spices, ingredients, and cooking techniques. The spice trade, particularly in nutmeg, cloves, and pepper, played a significant role in shaping Indonesian cuisine, giving it its signature bold flavors and aromatic spice blends. 

The country’s abundant tropical ingredients like coconut, rice, plantain and breadfruit and a variety of fruits and vegetables form the base of many traditional dishes. Kecap Manis, a molasses like sweet soy sauce,, also permeates the cuisine.

Just like Thai food, Indonesian cuisine balances the dance between sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors, creating a harmonious blend in every bite. Desserts featuring local vegetables and fruit like Kolak are popular across the islands.

Variations of this dessert can also be found in neighboring countries like Thailand and Malaysia, showcasing the shared culinary influences across Southeast Asia. These countries share a history of trade and cultural exchange, leading to overlapping flavors and cooking techniques.

What is Pandan?

Also known as the vanilla extract of Southeast Asia, pandan leaves come from the leaves of the Screwpine tree. This is the basic flavoring agent used in desserts of the region. This is what gives many of their desserts their characteristic green hue.

Pandan can be utilized in many different form in the desserts of Southeast Asia.

• the whole leaves are often added to infuse a subtle flavor
• the leaves can be blended with water and then strained to produce a pandan extract
• store bought pandan extract
• store bought pandan paste
• dried pandan leaves can be purchased and then reconstituted in hot water

Specialty Ingredient Notes

• Pandan Leaves – Pandan are the leaves of the screwpine tree and have a taste and flavor very similar to vanilla extract. They are the flavoring of choice for most desserts throughout Southeast Asia and even in South Asia where iit is known as kewra water and often used to flavor Indian desserts like kheer or payasam.
• Sweet Potatoes – Although I used the more commonly available orange fleshed sweet potato we have in the U.S. In Indonesia, using batata (purple skinned white fleshed sweet potato) or purple sweet potato would be more common.

Recipe FAQ

Expert Tips

• If you are substituting tapioca for the sago, you will need to soak your tapiioca for at least 30 minutes as they are firmer than sago. You can even soak it overnight if you’d like.
• The consistency will still be thin after cooking. Be careful not to overcook the kolak because as it chills in the regrigerator, it will thicken quite a bit.
• Other starchy fruits and vegetables like jackfruit, cassava, purple sweet potatoes and banana can also be used.
• If you cannot source pandan leavesm use vanilla beans or vanilla extract.
• Be sure to use canned coconut milk. Do not use tetra pack coconut milk as it is too thin and you  will not have the same results.

To learn more about the differences between the types of coconut milk, read all about it here – Types of Coconut Milk.

Ingredients

• sago – Using sago or tapioca will thicken this dessert soup so that after it chills, it will have more of a pudding consistency. It also adds body and texture.
• pandan leaves – Pandan also known as pandanus leaf or screwpine leaves or bai toey in Asian markets is basically the vanilla extract of Southeast Asia as most desserts are flavored with this. You can substitute vanilla extract if you cannot source pandan leaves, pandan extract or pandan essence.
• palm sugar – Palm sugar has smokey caramel notes and you can find it at most Asian markets. You can substitute brown sugar.
• pumpkin (labu) – Pumpkin is a naturally sweet vegetable so perfect in this dessert soup.
• riple plantain (pisang raja) – You want your plantain to be sweet and ripe but still firm enough to have some ttexture. You should look for yellow plantain where the skin has already started to turn black.
• sweet potato (ubi jalar) – Although I used orange fleshed sweet potato, you can also use other varietites of sweet potato like purple sweet potato (ube) or batata.
• coconut milk – Thick coconut milk adds both flavor and body so that the soup will thicken quickly.

How to Make Indonesian Kolak Labu

• Soak sago for at least 20 minutes or overnight.
• In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil with the pandan leaf and the palm sugar.

• Once boiling, add the vegetables and let them cook for about 15 minutes.
• Add the sago and coconut milk and simmer for another 15 minutes.

• Discard the pandanus leaf and transfer the kolak to the fridge for at least a few hours so that it can thicken a bit more.
• Serve chilled, warm or at room temperature.

What a delicious bowl!

If you’ve been inspired by this delicious recipe, check out some other Indonesian recipes!

Indonesian Recipes

• Seroendeng
• Martaabak
• Kue Pukis
• Bakabana

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