D for Delectable Delights #1

This first episode of delectable delights is also my first attempt at recreating the apam kampung or steamed sponge-like cake/bread. In my own language, it would be a kind of kueh/kuih or cake but because I have added yeast to help with the fermentation process, it is more like a steamed bread to me, since I prefer sweet breads to sweet cakes, if not baked chocolate cakes.

Anyway, the reason I like making this bread is because the ingredients and preparation are simple and straight forward but what I dislike about it is the waiting time before I can actually taste it.

If you are not patient, it will not happen. That is the reason why it would usually take me weeks to ponder over it before I actually get to do it.

Nevertheless, all that waiting is worthwhile because the outcome is one delectable delight that is to die for, to me at least.

Since I've got all that I needed already in the pantry, let's whip up some apams.

Apam Beras

What you need to have:

Ingredients

1 cup fermented glutinous rice (tapai pulut)*

1.1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp yeast

3/4 cup jaggery sugar or brown sugar or palm sugar

2 pandan leaves

1.1/2 cup water

non-flavoured vegetable oil for greasing

grated coconut with a pinch of salt

Apparatus

a saucepan

a wooden spoon

a blender

a large bowl

a whisk

measuring cups and spoons

a steamer

a ladle

mini cake moulds or 10" diameter cake pan

a wire rack

a heat-resistant plate

* the tapai pulut is store-bought

What you need to do:

1. Place sugar, water and pandan leaves in a saucepan and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

2. Blender the glutinous rice until smooth. No water is required because the fermented rice is already well hydrated.

3. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together except coconut, until smooth. The batter should be thin but not watery. If needed, add more water to reach the right consistency. If needed, add raw sugar. (I like my breads/cakes to be less sweet.)

4. Cover and ferment for at least 8 hrs or overnight.

5. The next morning, put the steamer to a boil. Stir lightly the batter to even out the mixture and pour batter into greased mini cake moulds or a 10" diameter cake pan, 3/4 full. (I used 9 mini moulds bought from IKEA plus a 6.1/2" diameter cake pan for the excess batter)

6. Place mini moulds or cake pan in steamer and cover the top of the moulds/pan completely with aluminium foil. 

7. Steam for mini moulds, 25 mins, for cake pan, 1 hr. Turn off heat and remove from steamer after 5 mins. Cool on wire rack.

8. Place the grated coconut on a heat-resistant plate and mix together with a pinch of salt. Steam for 10 mins using the remaining heat of the steamer.

9. Remove apams from moulds and serve with grated coconut, warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

my lovely mini apams

eat it with grated coconut

or eat it on its own