Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Recipe: Crispy, Juicy Mexican Pork

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Slow cooker pork carnitas is the easiest path to the best tacos of your life: a pork shoulder rubbed with cumin and oregano, slow-cooked in orange and lime juice until it falls apart, then crisped in a hot pan until the edges turn golden and crackly. Juicy inside, crispy outside — that contrast is the whole point. The slow cooker does the hard work. Eight hours on low turns a tough shoulder meltingly tender, and the citrus in the cooking liquid keeps the pork bright instead of heavy. The real magic happens at the end: shred the pork, spread it in a screaming-hot skillet with a splash of its own cooking liquid, and let it sit undisturbed until the edges char. Do not skip that step — crisping is what makes carnitas carnitas. Crispy edges, juicy center — carnitas night done right. Recipe Info Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 8 hours (slow cooker, low) Total time: 8 hours 30 minutes Servings: 8 Calories: ~520 kcal per serving Pork, citrus and spice — carnitas starts h...
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Es Cendol Recipe: Indonesian Iced Dessert with Coconut Milk and Palm Sugar

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Es cendol is Indonesia's answer to a heat wave: chewy green pandan jelly, rich coconut milk, and dark caramel-like palm sugar syrup, piled over shaved ice. Every glass balances slippery jelly against creamy coconut, smoky sweetness against icy cold — and it takes about 30 minutes from scratch.

Homemade cendol is easier than it looks: rice-flour batter cooked until thick and glossy, pressed through a colander into ice water, where it sets into the classic strands. A potato ricer does the job perfectly. Once you taste fresh cendol, the store-bought kind will never satisfy you again.

Tall glass of Indonesian es cendol — bright green rice-flour jelly strips layered with coconut milk, dark palm sugar syrup, and shaved ice

Indonesia's most iconic iced dessert.

Recipe Info

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Servings: 4 glasses
  • Calories: ~280 kcal per serving

Ingredients

  • Cendol: 100 g / ¾ cup rice flour, 25 g / 3 tbsp tapioca starch, 400 ml / 1⅔ cups water, 3 tbsp pandan juice (or 1 tsp pandan extract), pinch of salt
  • Syrup: 200 g / 1 cup palm sugar (gula aren), chopped; 120 ml / ½ cup water; 2 pandan leaves, knotted (or ½ tsp vanilla)
  • Assembly: 400 ml / 1⅔ cups coconut milk (1 can, well shaken), pinch of salt, 4 cups shaved or crushed ice
  • A large bowl of ice water for shaping the cendol

Close-up of a spoon lifting bright green cendol jelly from a glass of es cendol with coconut milk, palm sugar syrup, and shaved ice

Chewy, creamy, icy, sweet.

Instructions

  1. Make the syrup: Simmer the palm sugar, water, and pandan leaves in a small saucepan for 8–10 minutes until slightly syrupy. Strain out the leaves and cool completely.
  2. Cook the batter: Whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch, water, pandan juice, and salt until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6–8 minutes until thick, glossy, and slightly translucent.
  3. Shape the cendol: While hot, press the batter through a potato ricer (or a large-holed colander) into the ice water. Strands firm up in about 2 minutes. Drain.
  4. Season the coconut milk: Stir a pinch of salt into the coconut milk — it brightens the flavor and balances the sweetness.
  5. Assemble: In each glass, layer 3 tablespoons of syrup, a generous handful of cendol, and shaved ice to the top. Pour about 100 ml (⅓ cup) of coconut milk over each.
  6. Serve: Serve immediately with a long spoon and a straw. Stir everything together before drinking — that's the proper way.

Flat lay of es cendol ingredients: green cendol jelly, coconut milk, palm sugar blocks, shaved ice, and fresh pandan leaves

Pandan, coconut, palm sugar — the holy trinity.

Tips & Variations

  • Work fast when shaping. The batter sets as it cools — press it through the ricer while hot, or it won't pass through.
  • Ice water is non-negotiable. It shocks the strands into their signature chewy texture.
  • Pandan shortcut: No fresh leaves? Use 1 tsp pandan extract. For the real thing, blend 8 leaves with 3 tbsp water and strain.
  • Store-bought cendol works: Asian markets sell ready cendol. Rinse it before using to halve the prep time.
  • Adjust the sweetness: More syrup for a sweeter glass, less for a lighter one. Everyone has their ratio.
  • Fun add-ins: Diced jackfruit, avocado cubes, or cooked red beans push it toward es teler.
  • Make ahead: Cendol keeps 2 days in the fridge in cold water (change daily). Syrup keeps 1 week.

Nutrition Note

Approximate only, not dietary advice. One glass has roughly 280 kcal, 45 g carbohydrates (mostly sugar), 2 g protein, and 11 g fat from coconut milk. A dessert, not an everyday drink.

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FAQ

What does es cendol taste like?

Chewy, mildly grassy pandan jelly with rich coconut milk and deep, smoky palm sugar — sweet, creamy, and intensely refreshing over ice.

Can I use brown sugar instead of palm sugar?

You can, but palm sugar (gula aren) has a smoky depth brown sugar can't match. Find it at an Asian market.

Is es cendol gluten-free?

Rice flour and tapioca starch are naturally gluten-free — check packaging for cross-contamination warnings if sensitive.

How long does homemade cendol last?

Two days refrigerated in cold water; change the water daily. Fresher is better — it firms up over time.

Chewy pandan jelly, silky coconut milk, dark palm sugar, and shaved ice — es cendol is summer in a glass, Indonesian style. Make a batch this weekend!


 

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