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1
Extract pandan or suji leaf juice by blending the fresh leaves with a small amount of water, then straining through muslin. The liquid must be a deep, clear green — a pale or brownish result indicates the leaves are too old or the extraction too dilute; repeat with fresh leaves if necessary.
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2
Combine the rice flour, tapioca flour, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Whisk in the pandan leaf juice gradually to form a lump-free batter. Cook over medium heat, stirring without pause, until the batter thickens into a smooth, heavy paste that pulls cleanly from the sides of the pan and no raw-flour smell remains.
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3
This is where the dish lives or dies. While the batter is still very hot, press it in batches through a perforated cendol mould or colander held directly over a bowl of well-iced water. The strands must fall into the ice water immediately; they set on contact into short, squiggly, jelly-like worms. If the batter has cooled even slightly it will not pass cleanly through the perforations and the strands will be ragged and heavy. Work fast.
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4
Drain the set cendol strands through a sieve, refresh once in fresh ice water, and hold submerged in cold water until assembly. The strands should be soft, slippery, and springy under light finger pressure — neither gummy nor fragile.
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5
Dissolve the palm sugar with the water and the knotted pandan leaf in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until no granules remain. Simmer briefly until the syrup coats the back of a spoon with a deep amber glaze. Remove the pandan leaf. The syrup should smell of caramel and coconut blossom.
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6
Warm the coconut milk gently with the salt over low heat, stirring, until just below a simmer. Do not boil. The surface should show a faint shimmer of released coconut oil — this indicates the emulsion is stable. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature or chill.
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7
To assemble, divide the drained cendol strands among four deep glasses or bowls. Pack shaved ice over the strands. Pour coconut milk over the ice, then spoon the palm sugar syrup generously over the top. The layered colours — green worms, white coconut milk, dark amber syrup, pale ice — should be visible through the glass. Serve immediately, before the ice melts into the coconut milk.