Steamed Rice Cake (Bai Tang Gao 白糖糕)

Method14 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Wash all five pandan leaves and cut them into about 6-inch lengths. Drain before making the syrup.

   Uses 5 pandan leaves · Water used to wash pandan leaves, discarded

2. 2

   Step 2: Sift all 140 g rice flour into a large bowl. Whisk in 150 ml mixing water and the optional ¼ tsp fine salt until smooth.

   Uses 140 grams Rice Flour · 150 ml water for the rice-flour mixture · Optional ¼ tsp fine salt

3. 3

   Step 3: Put all 100 g caster sugar, 150 ml syrup water and prepared pandan leaves in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for about 5 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup fragrant. Avoid boiling hard or reducing the water appreciably.

   Check pandan sugar syrup · 5 minUses 100 grams Caster Sugar · 150 ml water for the pandan syrup · All five prepared leaves, separate from washing water

4. 4

   Step 4: Lift out and discard the pandan leaves, then strain the syrup to remove leaf fragments.

   Uses All syrup and infused leaves

5. 5

   Step 5: Slowly pour the hot strained syrup into the rice-flour mixture, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Strain if needed, then let the mixture cool to about 30°C, just warm, before adding yeast.

   Uses All strained syrup, separate from discarded leaves · All smooth flour, mixing-water and optional-salt mixture

6. 6

   Step 6: Dissolve all ½ tsp dried yeast in 1 tbsp warm activation water. Leave for about 5 minutes, until bubbles appear. If it does not bubble, replace the inactive yeast and make a fresh activation mixture before proceeding.

   Check yeast activation · 5 minUses 1/2 tsp Dried Yeast · 1 tbsp warm water for yeast activation

7. 7

   Step 7: Once the rice mixture has cooled to about 30°C and the yeast mixture is bubbling, stir all the activated yeast into the rice mixture with all 1 tsp batter oil.

   Uses All cooled rice-flour and syrup mixture · All successful yeast and activation-water mixture · 1 tsp Oil

8. 8

   Step 8: Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for about 2 hours, until the batter is visibly bubbling. Do not substitute baking soda for the dried yeast.

   Check rice-cake batter fermentation · 120 minUses All mixed batter with yeast and measured oil

9. 9

   Step 9: Lightly grease a 7½-inch sloped stainless-steel steaming plate with the separate greasing oil. Use the selected plate size for this full batch.

   Uses Oil drawn to lightly grease the steaming plate

10. 10

    Step 10: Set a rack in the wok and add water around rack level, keeping the food plate above it. Bring to a full boil. Keep a kettle of boiling water ready to top up below the plate if needed.

    Uses Water below the steaming plate; extra boiling water held ready

11. 11

    Step 11: Loosely shape a piece of aluminium foil over the greased steaming plate to make a removable cover, then lift it off carefully and keep it ready.

12. 12

    Step 12: Stir the fermented batter thoroughly to reincorporate flour settled at the bottom. Set the greased plate level on the rack and pour in all the batter without shaking the plate. Put on the loose foil cover and close the wok. Once steady steam resumes, steam over high heat for about 20 minutes. Keep the base from boiling dry, topping up below the plate with boiling water only if needed.

    Check rice cake after 20 minutes · 20 minUses All fully bubbled batter · Boiling water below the steaming plate · Conditional boiling top-up below the plate, only if needed

13. 13

    Step 13: At the twenty-minute check, insert a clean skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean without wet batter, the cake is cooked; otherwise continue steaming and check again until it does.

    Uses Whole steamed cake, separate from external water

14. 14

    Step 14: Lift out the plate with heatproof gloves and remove the foil. Let the cake cool completely before cutting; the author suggests about 1–2 hours. If it needs longer, refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour above 32°C / 90°F, and finish cooling there. Cut into six portions once cool and serve; keep stored cake refrigerated.

    Uses Whole fully cooked cake in its plate