I know Ben. When he was in Malaysia he, without fail, will go look for recipe books to bring home … and for me to COOK! He always does that and I hate that because it adds so much pressure to me to make them. He thinks that I can make anything … oh yeah! oh sure!
So, I had no choice because he had been placing his “present” for me on my bedside table. I know it’s his subtle way to let me know that it’s there. So, I am forced to make just one item just to placate him. I made the Pak Thong Koh (Steamed Rice Cake). This is quite common in Chinatown and chinese bakeries like T&T and Maxim’s.
Pak Thong Koh is a sweet rice cake with a tangy flavour from the yeast action. It has a very unique springy texture. It is not overly sweet, just a hint of sweetness. Great for kids too because it does not leave a mess at all.
Making this is quite easy with very simple steps. However, it takes a lot of time because it takes 6-8 hours waiting for the yeast to make it rise.
The Pak Thong Koh turned out OK taste wise but I just could not make it as white as snow. The ones that I bought from the bakeries is really white. Do you have a tip on how to make it that white?
Ingredients
(1) Syrup
- 300g sugar
- 300ml water
- 3 screwpine leaves (Pandan)
For the Batter:
(2)
- 300g rice flour
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 250ml water
(3)
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon lye water (alkaline)
Click on the link below for the instructions.
Instructions
 Combine ingredients (2), stir well to form a batter and set aside. |
 Boil ingredients (1) in a pot until the sugar is dissolved to from a syrup. Discard screwpine leaves and bring the syrup to a boil. |
 I do not have instant yeast on hand, so I used active dry yeast instead. I dissolved the yeast with 1 tablespoon of warm water. |
 Pour the boiling syrup into the batter to half-cook the batter. Let cool. Add instant yeast to the batter and mix well. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside for 6 to 8 hours for the batter to rise. |
 Add lye water and mix well. Pour the batter into a tray and steam over high heat for 45 minutes or until cooked. Remove, let cool, cut into pieces and serve. |
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37 users responded in this post
Love your site and especially your top homepage revolving banner. So darn cool!
Daryl
Yum. Thanks.
As previously stated, Ben is a lucky lucky man. Why two “luckies”? One, because he has a wife who is a wonderful cook. The second, because he has a very patient wife who puts up with his “hinting”. =D
I can’t believe it! I mean Ben is being a bit naughty here…. hehe.
Take you time and don’t give yourself too much pressure (food may not taste good otherwise). But I’m sure he will like any food you make even if you think it’s not up to your perfection. :)
i think it is the cornflour that is making your koh not as white. try replacing with tung mein fun
Hi Lilyng, I wonder if you know the English name for ‘tung mien fun’. I will try to look for it.
It’s the lye water that is making the Pak Thong Koh not white. Try using bicarbonate of soda.
The English name for ‘tung mien fun’ is Wheat Starch.
Thanks Sakim Nat, I will try your suggestions the next time I make Pak Thong Koh.
Is it plain rice flour or glutinous rice flour?
Hi Eric, this recipe uses plain rice flour.
Hi Sakim Nat, I tried to make it with Wheat Starch and bicarbonate soda yesterday but it turned out more brown than my original recipe. I think the bakers who make this must have used some kind of edible bleach to make it so white.
I’m looking for a Filipino dessert that looks VERY similar to this- I wonder if this is the one I’ve been missing! The only thing is, I live in Washington State in the United States and I wonder where I can find lye water and screwpine leaves!
Hi Jennifer, I do not know where you can find screwpine leaves and lye water in Washington State. But, yesterday, I made the Pak Tong Koe without the lye water but substituted with 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar and it turned out the whitest I ever get. Thanks to Jess for the pointer.
Suanne, thank you so much. My Nana told me that it’s called PUTO but I’ve looked at Puto before (a Filipino dessert) and it doesn’t look a thing like this (which is exactly the thing I’m looking for!). Thanks! :)
I would like to have your steam rice cake recipe.
Khang chang
Thankyou
I would like to have your steam rice cake recipe.
I make your steam rice cake today, it turn out perfect, I love it. I have been looking for this steam rice cake recipe for a longest time I’m finally found it. Thankyou so much for the recipe.
I want to comment on Jennifer question where to find lye water and screwpine leaves. I live in California and I bought the lye water at Filipino stores, oriental stores, Chinatown and even big grocery stores carry lye water mostly on the Oriental aisle. About screwpine leaves, I buy this frozen but you can substitute pandan flavor (usually on the aisle with vanilla flavoring syrup).
how do i steam a large batch if i only have a small steamer? is there a way to steam in the oven? thanks
Hi Grace, I dont think you can get the steaming effect in the oven that is required by this style of cake. Perhaps you have to invest some money to get a big wok or steamer or otherwise, steam them in small batches in your small steamer.
Just wondering is it possible to skip using the pandan leaves or is it integral to the flavor of the pak thong kou?
Hi Jamie, Southeast Asia recipes use pandan leaves to flavour the desserts a lot. Maybe because pandan leaves are abundant in SEA. I guess you can impart your preferred flavour to the Pak Thong Kou like coconut, vanilla, almond, etc by using extracts.
Hi Suanne, Oh that’s a great idea! I think an almond extract version would be superb. I’ll let you know how it works out. Thanks so much for always writing back. Your site is a daily highlight for me.
Just checking but when you say cornflour, do you mean cornflour or corn starch?
Hi Jamie, what the English call corn flour is what the Americans call corn starch.
Awesome, I thought as much. Thanks for clarifying! Sounds like you’re having a great vacation.
Tried the recipe today. One thing I noticed right away was that my batter did not look anything at all like yours in the first picture. Mine was very watery, while yours looked formed. I double checked my measurements to make sure I did not make a mistake, but they were correct. Where do you think I failed here? Would appreciate any advice so I will succeed in my next try. Thanks.
Hi Lou, the initial batter is rather thick but after you add the syrup, it will be watery. Did you let it rise for 8 hours before you steam it?
Thank you so much, I love your site. I was so excited when I saw this recipe! I’ll have to try making this.
[...] Chinese New Year celebration, I also made a Steamed Rice Cake. This is slightly different from the Pak Thong Koh. Pak Tong Koh is leavened by yeast while this Steamed Rice Cake is leavened by double acting baking [...]
Thks so much for the recipe. I was looking for it since 2005 when we went to Canton and eaten this cake in a restaurant.
Just need to know if the batter should be cooked after pouring the boiling syrup in it and for how long. Thanks for your quick reply as I would like to try it very quickly.
Hi M. Lourdes, the heat from the boiling syrup alone will half cook the batter. You don’t need to cook the batter on the stove anymore. Just let it cool a bit before you add in the yeast.
Hi Suanne,
I love eating this cake and would like to try your recipe. Since you mentioned you use 1 tsp of cream of tartar to get it white, then when do you add in this cream of tartar and to where? Hope you would be able to reply me soon. thanks!
Hi Delia, I add the cream of tartar just before it goes to the steamer. But, I must tell you that it wont be as white as those you find in the stores, just not to disappoint you.
Hi Suanne,
Thanks for the prompt reply. Will try it out this weekend.
Hi, my grandmother steamed this over rapidly vinegar-ed water.
Vinegar is the key to a white ‘pak thong koh’
She add a tablespoon of white vinegar into the steaming water.
And I’ve checked the internet for substitution, cream of tartar and white vinegar can be substituted interchangeably at a one to one ratio. What I would like to ask is that if you add 1 tsp of cream of tartar in the batter, wouldn’t the batter produce a sourish taste?
Thanks!
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