Traditional Sugar Rice Steamed Cake （ Pak Tong Gou 白糖糕）

Let’s make traditional steamed rice cake “Pak Tong Gou 白糖糕”. That we always eat since young. It is thick and smooth, with a hint of sweetness and sourness and a fragrant hint of pandan.

The main ingredients used are rice flour fermented with yeast and white sugar. Adding yeast to ferment the batter will produce many small bubbles, which makes the steamed white sugar cake taste softer and more delicious. The traditional method is complicated to make, but now experienced foodies have simplified the steps.

Like steamed Malay Cake（马来糕）, needs to be fermented with yeast. The difference is that the fermented pores of this cakes are elastic and non-sticky when eaten and are tough and not easy to break when folded. The taste has the sweet aroma of rice, and it will not become sour if it is fermented for the right time. On the other hand, if you like a sour taste, you can extend the fermentation time.

To prevent the batter from layering or precipitating during steaming, the hot boil pandan-infused sugar syrup (about 65°C) is being poured into the flour mixture, to partially cook the rice flour for 20–30%. Additionally, oil is added to the flour ahead of time rather than added at the end, allowing the flour to coat the oil and preventing easy oil-water separation. 

For newbie, I would recommend using cooking thermometer to make this steamed rice cake. Temperature is the key to technique. The reason why the cakes are failed is often caused by adding yeast to hot batter. Or you may try to test the temperature with your finger, 35°C is ideal for yeast activation. High temperature will kill yeast, low temperature, it will not ferment.

To test whether the yeast is still effective, I will activate the yeast with some warm water and sugar. Check how its respond after 10 minutes. It should look a little bubbly and smell very yeasty. If not, your yeast was probably dead or expire before adding to the recipe.

This Pak Tong Gou is fluffy yet not-sticky, sweet yet not-greasy flavour. The cut surface is full of shark fin lines(鱼翅纹), cross-section is full of honeycomb pores.  Ancient nostalgic taste is back.

 

INGREDIENTS

Sugar Syrup (300ml)

340ml Hot Water

170g Caster Sugar

7pcs Pandan Leaves

 

Batter

250g Rice Flour

40g Cornstarch

½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Vegetable Oil

230ml Water

Activate yeast

1 tsp Instant Dry Yeast

1 ½ tsp Caster Sugar

50ml Lukewarm Water (35°C)

 

METHODS

1.Combine the sugar syrup ingredients in a saucepan, cook the syrup at medium high heat until sugar melted. Stir occasionally. Until the water turns to light green in colour.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the rice flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add oil to the flour mixture. Let the flour coat the oil and prevent easy oil-water separation.

3. Add the 230ml water to the flour mixture INCREMENTALLY, stir until well combined. The batter should be sticky with thick consistency

NOTE: Holding back a little of the water from the recipe is the preferred way to get a perfect sticky and thick batter.

4. Add HOT (65°C) sugar syrup in two parts to partially cook the batter before steaming, preventing layering or precipitation. Now the batter should be in runny consistency. And let the batter cool until 35°C.

5. In a small ball, combine the yeast, sugar, and lukewarm water, let it activate for 10 minutes or until the mixture turn foamy or bubbles appear on top.

6. Once the batter cool until warm (35°C), mix in the foamy yeast, stirring well to combine. Pour in the batter to an 8” grease round steaming pan. Cover with plastic wrap, proof in warm place for 2 hours. Or until a lot of bubbles form on the surface. Do not stir to spoil the bubbles.

7. Prepare steamer by rapid boiling water to steam rice cake. Steam for 25 minutes on high heat.

8. Remove from heat, let it cool enough before cutting cake.

9. Use a spatula to loosen the cake, then remove it from the pan after cooling. Cut it with plastic spatula or a knife which coat with oil to prevent sticking.