Skip to main content

Bak Tong Ko ~ 白糖糕


When I was little, I used to like to eat this steamed rice cake, maybe because it's soft and sweet and I believe most kids do.  Well, I still crave for this cake once in a while.  During this lock down, I hardly visit the wet market where this cake is sold at the kuih stalls and so I had to google for recipes and try my hand at making my own.  This cake is not too sweet, but soft, slightly bouncy and I like the amazing honeycomb pattern when you cut a cross section of the rice cake.







Bak Tong Ko  ~   白糖糕   
                

Ingredients
  • 150 gm rice flour
  • 150 ml water
  • 100 gm sugar
  • 150 ml water
  • 3 to 4 pandan/screwpine leaves
  • 1/2 tsp cooking oil
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder to be added to the rice mixture just before steaming
  • 1 tsp instant dried yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp warm water
Method
  1. Put rice flour into a mixing bowl, whisk it.  Mix in water and stir till free of lumps.  Set aside.
  2. Boil water with sugar and pandan leaves till sugar has dissolved.  Discard pandan leaves.
  3. Pour this hot syrup into the rice mixture, stir to mix well.  Sieve the mixture into another bowl to free of lumps.
  4. Let the mixture cool till lukewarm, about 20 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, mix the yeast with sugar and warm water, give it a stir and let it ferment till bubbles appear, approximately 5 to 10 minutes depending on the weather.
  6. Pour the yeast mixture into the warm rice mixture, stir thoroughly especially to the bottom to make sure everything is mixed well.  Add in the oil and mix well.
  7. Cover the bowl with cling wrap, place it in a warm place and let it ferment till plenty of bubbles appear.  This will take about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the weather.  Lightly grease a 7 or an 8 inch pan. 
  8. Meanwhile prepare the steamer with enough water and set it to boil.
  9. Stir the  mixture thoroughly and add the baking powder, give it a final stir.  Pour the mixture into the greased pan.
  10. Steam the cake in the steamer with rapidly boiling water, on high heat for about 25 to 30 minutes.  Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
  11. Remove rice cake from steamer and let cool for a while before unmoulding to let cool completely before cutting with a plastic knife.
Note :  
  1. The yeast smell can be overpowering if the rice cake is eaten warm, after removing from the steamer.  The rice cake should be consumed after it is cooled completely.
  2. Over proving the mixture may result in a yellowish cake, after steaming.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Snow Swallow Dessert ~ 天然野生雪燕

  Natural Wild Tragacanth Gum 'Snow Swallow' or Xue Yan is a gum derived from different varieties of sterculia trees.  It's actually a sap drained from the root of the plant and  the gum dries as it exudes and is then collected.  Once rehydrated will increase to about ten times in size and their white stringy, jelly like strands texture resembles that of the much prized and highly valued bird's nest.  One thing to take note when cooking this dessert is that the gum is highly soluble in water and cannot be boiled too long. Since it is 'cooling' for our internal organs, the elderlies should take this in moderation and not recommended for nursing mums for the breast milk may cause the baby to purge. Snow Swallow Dessert  ~   天然野生雪燕 Ingredients 8 gm Snow Swallow gums 10 gm red dates 10 gm goji berries 20 gm dried longan Rock or piece sugar to taste 1 litre water Pandan leaves (optional) Method Soak the Snow Swallow gums in plenty of water for at least...

Tamarind Pork Belly (Babi Assam) ~ 亚参五花肉

A very appetising dish with tangy and robust flavour of tamarind juice, red and green chillies added more oomph to the dish.  This dish will surely whet your appetite and you'll go for second helping of rice to soak up the tangy gravy.  This is a Peranakan dish but as always, there are many varieties to this delicacy.  I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit what I have in my pantry and the end result is a very yummy dish that I will not hesitate to whip up again and again. Tamarind Pork Belly (Babi Assam)  ~   亚参 五花肉 Ingredients 450 gm pork belly, cut into bite size 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 3 shallots, finely chopped 30 gm tamarind pulp (Assam paste)  + 250 ml water 3 green chillies 2 red chillies 2 tsp tau cheong (preserved bean paste) 2 tsp dark soya sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar or to taste 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fish sauce 1 onion, sliced Method Mix the tamarind pulp with a cup of...

Steamed Chicken with Cordycep Flowers

  This dish of steamed chicken with slightly chewy and crunchy cordycep flowers (scientific name Cordyceps Militaris), also known as   虫草花   is delicious with added aroma from the Shaoxing wine and sesame oil.  This dish can also be served as confinement food and I have posted a Cordycep flower chicken soup quite a while back.  You can check it out 'here' . Steamed Chicken with Cordycep Flowers Ingredients 450 gm chicken, cut into bite sizes 8 gm Cordycep flowers 3 thin slices of ginger, cut into strips 10 red dates, deseeded 15 wolfberries (to sprinkle after chicken is cooked) 1.1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1.1/2 Tbsp sesame oil 1.1/2 Tbsp light soya sauce 1.1/2 Tbsp cornflour 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce 2 Tbsp water Method Marinate the chicken with wine, light soya sauce, sesame oil, cornflour and oyster sauce for a few hours or overnight. Wash and rinse the cordycep flowers and red dates. Mix into the marinated chicken, add in water and steam chicken on hight heat f...