Description
Soft, chewy, and full of honeycomb-like air pockets, these steamed Chinese white rice flour cakes are just like the sweet treats you’d find at dim sum.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 200g regular rice flour
- 100g granulated white sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar (9g)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 400 ml water (room temperature)
- 3g instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Make the batter: In a medium mixing bowl, combine rice flour (200g), sugar (100g), vanilla sugar (9g), salt (1/2 tsp), and water (400 ml). Whisk until smooth, then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of any lumps. Add the instant yeast (3g) and stir to combine.
- Let it ferment: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours but no longer, or it’ll turn overly sour. The surface should look bubbly, and you’ll notice a light sour aroma. Once it’s fermented, mix in the oil (1 tbsp) and set aside.
- Prepare your steamer: Fill your steamer with water and bring it to a boil. Wrap the steamer lid with a large kitchen towel to catch condensation. Pull the ends of the towel up and tie them around the lid handle. Make sure nothing hangs down that could touch the burner. Alternatively you can also lay a towel nearby and halfway through steaming, carefully lift the lid but keep it level, then transfer it to the towel to wipe off any water droplets that are clinging to the underside.
- Steam the cakes: Transfer the empty cake pan or small bowls into the steamer and let it get hot for about 2 minutes. Then, pour the batter through a strainer into the pan, filling it about three-quarters full. Cover the steamer with the towel-wrapped lid and steam for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Finish: Carefully remove the cake pan or small bowls out of the steamer. Let it cool slightly before removing it from the pan. Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: stove top, steam
- Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Vietnamese