Steamed White Sugar Sponge Cake (Pak Tong Gou) - The Easy Way Out

As promised, this is the recipe which I adopted online for the classic Pak Tong Gou. This one is very easy to deal with and almost impossible to fail. Trust me. I know it may sound too good to be true but then again, tried and tested with photo as proof. So now, go ahead and give it a go. All you need it 2 hours to impress your family or friends. I always thought this would be a very nice thing to make especially if you have moved overseas and with kids born overseas. It can be difficult to show them the culture of where you come from, especially if you're an Asian like me, someone who is still very homesick at the moment. This make delicious breakfast and snack. By the way, I'm going Japanese today. Will try make some Japanese Green Tea Sponge Cake later. Don't worry, if all goes well which I really hope so, I'll be posting some photos and of course, the recipe ;) Good day!

Ingredients:

• 280g Rice Flour


• 200g White Sugar (adjust to taste)


• Pinch of salt


• 600ml water


• 3 Pandan leaves (optional)


• 1 teaspoon yeast diluted with 3 tablespoons warm water (water cannot be too hot as it will kill the yeast, a bit over room temperature is good)


• 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
  

Method:

1. Add 300ml of water to rice flour and mix well.


2. Boil the remaining 300ml of water with sugar, salt and Pandan leaves. Pour syrup into rice flour mixture stir well and set aside to cool.


3. Dissolve yeast with warm water and mix into the cooled rice mixture. Stir until well incorporated, cover and leave to ferment for 2 hours in warm place until small bubbles appear on top.


4. Set steamer on high, place an 8” pan (square or round) in steamer and let it steam for 5 minutes on high before adding the fermented rice mixture into the pan.


5. Add ½ tablespoon of oil to fermented rice mixture, stir well and pour into heated pan. Let it steam for 20 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when tested.


6. Let it cool completely before cutting and serve. (Oh yea, while it's cooling, you may wanna brew some coffee to go with it. Perfect match, especially a cup of long black)

Good day? Bad day? Spongy day :)

Ever since we moved to New Zealand, I have been constantly dreaming about the food back home in Malaysia and one of them has to be my childhood favourite, in fact it's still my favourite - Pak Tong Gou. Well, I remember grandma used to take me to the market on weekend to shop and I would often get some lose change from her for my favourite "Kueh" (local snacks and cakes). Back then it was so convenient, we had all the access to local delicacies and they were very affordable too! Even with just RM2, I could have a lot! Well, it wasn't that long ago but now it is just impossible for me to buy from the market, one of the reasons is also because I am overseas. Well, talking with great pride, I always think the Asians eat well. We really know our food and we do not make do! My mum always says, we don't dump everything in a pot and chuck it into the oven and let it cooked for hours! You destroy the taste and nutrients that way. Maybe it's true, maybe it's just our mentallity. Either way, I enjoy food, the old fashioned and the fusion. So long it's good food, it's a must to try.

I have been wanting to make my own White Sugar Sponge Cake for a while but just never got to do it (I heard many have failed and it's a long, long process). Until today, I had a pretty good morning in fact. I was called for an interview, and second interview in the same day! That certainly seemed very promising to me. It wasn't a big company but it was what I wouldn't mind doing for now, a trainer. The post asked for a trainer to train and manage the telemarketers in a call centre and they were very impressed with my qualification and experience. I was happy, I woke up early in the morning, went for the first interview, it went very well and I was told to go for second interview in the afternoon later. After that, I met up with hubby at a fine restaurant for breakfast. He ordered me Iced coffee and a gourmet oatmeal. It was beautiful!

Well, I then went to the interview and I thought I nailed it! I was very confident though a bit disappinted at the company when they couldn't answer some of my questions. Then again, I thought it is not a bad thing to start small from a new company as they did not have a very established structure and reputation hence more room to grow and learn. However, I got very, very disappointed when I received a call couple of hours later, I was not selected. They didn't choose me, for whatever reason, I'm not sure. It wasn't as if I loved the job and really wanted it badly, it was just my pride. I don't take rejection very well. I came home feeling totally wronged. And it's time to do some psychology treatment. So I decided I should make myself some comfort food, something that will "bring me home". I then found this perfect recipe online for Pak Tong Gou. It only takes 2 hours to make. I was a bit skeptical about it at first but I thought, today would be the perfect day to risk this. So I made it! And yes! It wasn't such a bad day, see the end results ;) It's funny but this totally made my day and the whole rejection, interview thing just don't seem to matter anymore :) Look at the honeycomb effect, this is the sweetest thing ever. Hubby loved it too and I couldn't wait but took photos to send to my parents, daddy said I'm one lucky girl ;) Indeed I am.

It made my day and I'm sure it will make your day too for those who are hunting for an easy way out with this all time favourite cake. I'll be posting the recipe soon so you guys can try it out. For now, drool over these beautiful honeycombed, white spongy little gem ;)