Steamed Rice Cake

For the 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 powder. It does not have the hint of sourness as the Pak Thong Koh.

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This Steamed Rice Cake is lightly sweet. It is eaten during Chinese New Year because of the way the cake rises and blossoms. Rise in Cantonese is “fatt” and “fatt” in Cantonese also means prosperity or wealth.

Ingredients

Step 1:

  • 200g rice flour
  • 200ml coconut milk
  • 160ml boiling water
  • 1 teaspoon double acting baking powder

Step 2:

  • 120g sugar
  • 1 teaspoon double acting baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence

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Steamed Rice Cakes (Pak Thong Koh)

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.

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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.

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