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.