Blend the pandan leaves with 150 ml water until fully broken down, about 1 minute. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids, to get bright green pandan juice.

Toss the grated coconut with the torn pandan leaf and 1/8 tsp salt. Steam over simmering water for 8 minutes until softened and fragrant, then discard the pandan leaf and set the coconut aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the glutinous rice flour with 1/4 tsp salt. Pour in the pandan juice gradually, stirring, then knead by hand until you get a soft, smooth dough that doesn't stick to your fingers. Add a splash more water if it feels dry.

Cover the dough with a damp towel and rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 18 pieces, about 18 g each, and roll into balls. Flatten each ball in your palm, place a rounded teaspoon of chopped gula melaka in the center, then gather the edges up and pinch to seal completely. This step matters most: any gap in the seal and the palm sugar leaks out into the boiling water instead of staying inside. Roll again into a smooth ball.

Bring a 4-quart / 3.8 L saucepan of water to a rolling boil.

Drop the balls in, a few at a time so they have room to move. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes until they float to the surface, then let them bob for another minute to finish cooking through.

Lift the balls out with a slotted spoon, drain for a few seconds, and roll them immediately in the steamed coconut while still warm and sticky, so the coconut sticks.

Serve within 1 to 2 hours while the palm sugar center is still molten.