Pandan Bak Tong Gou (班兰白糖糕)

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Soft, bouncy and fragrant, this Pandan Bak Tong Gou is a delicious twist on the traditional Chinese steamed rice cake. The beautiful natural pandan aroma makes it especially tempting, and I love how simple the ingredients are.

Bak Tong Gou (白糖糕), also known as Chinese steamed rice cake, is made mainly with rice flour, sugar and yeast. The batter is fermented before steaming, which gives the cake its characteristic soft, slightly chewy and bouncy texture.

For this version, I added freshly blended pandan leaves to the sugar syrup. The pandan not only gives the Bak Tong Gou a lovely natural fragrance, but also a subtle green tint. The result is a soft and slightly chewy Bak Tong Gou with a lovely pandan fragrance. It's especially good with a cup of tea or coffee and makes a wonderful afternoon snack.

Full written steps, tips, and exact measurements are below. Keep scrolling! 



INGREDIENTS

A — Pandan Syrup

260ml water, blended with 6 pandan leaves

180g sugar

B — Rice Flour Mixture

220g rice flour

220g water

1 tsp baking powder

10g cooking oil

A pinch of salt

C — Yeast Mixture

1 tsp instant yeast

1 tbsp water

A dash of sugar

METHOD

1. Prepare the pandan syrup

Blend 6 pandan leaves with 260ml water. Strain the pandan juice and bring it to a boil together with the sugar. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.

2. Prepare the rice flour mixture

In a large bowl, combine the rice flour with 220g water and mix until smooth. Strain the mixture to remove any lumps. Slowly pour the boiling pandan syrup into the rice flour mixture while stirring continuously. Allow the mixture to cool until it is warm or at room temperature.

Important: Do not add the yeast while the mixture is still hot, as the heat can kill the yeast.

3. Prepare the yeast and ferment

Mix the instant yeast with 1 tablespoon of water and a dash of sugar. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. Add the yeast mixture and baking powder to the cooled rice flour mixture and mix well. Cover and leave the batter to ferment for about 2 hours, or until you can see fermentation bubbles forming.

4. Prepare the steaming pan

Grease a steaming pan with a little cooking oil. Place the pan inside the wok or steamer while the water is brought to a boil. Heating the pan first helps the batter begin steaming immediately when it is poured in.

5. Steam the Bak Tong Gou

Once the water is boiling and the pan is hot, give the fermented batter a gentle stir with cooking oil and a dash of salt. Strain it once more before pouring it into the hot pan. Steam over high heat for about 30 minutes. Remove from the steamer and allow it to cool completely before cutting. Cut into pieces and serve.

Tips for Making Pandan Bak Tong Gou

1. Let the flour mixture cool before adding the yeast. This is important because very hot liquid can kill the yeast.

2. Don't skip the fermentation. The fermentation process is what helps create the characteristic texture and small holes in Bak Tong Gou.

3. Keep the batter covered while fermenting to prevent the surface from drying out.

4. Heat the steaming pan first. Pouring the batter into a hot pan helps it start cooking immediately.

5. Steam over high heat and make sure there is plenty of boiling water in the steamer.

6. Let the cake cool completely before slicing so it has time to set and develop its soft, bouncy texture.

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