Welcome James (Apam Balik with Red Bean Paste)

Just received news that my very good buddy Irena in Singapore had given birth to little James (2.17pm, 51 cm, 3.13Kg) on Friday 03 August 2007. 6 days short of our National Day :-).

So CONGRATULATIONS to the happy parents, I'm really so very happy as I've been awaiting years for my dear friend to join the Running after Crazy Kids Club and finally this day has arrived. And about time.

Feeling really like celebrating and having found the excuse not to continue with the unpacking, I have decided to make some Apam Balik (Sweet Pancakes) with Red Bean Paste to mark the event. A toast to Baby James!

Makes 2 :

200g Plain Flour
60g Rice Flour
110g Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
240ml Milk with 1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
80ml Carbonated Water

Canned sweetened Red Bean Paste
A touch of Coconut Milk
Salted Butter

10-inch non-stick Crepe Pan
Vegetable Oil

This is the kind of traditional Singaporean/Malaysian goodie that you make with lye water, alkaline water etc, but I've decided to play safe and not use stuff like that in my cooking and so the visual and texture may not be as wonderful as the old stuff, but I'm sure that the taste will be more or less as before.

The idea is that the pancake has to be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. And while you want your pancake to be thin and smooth when you're making a French Crepe, for the Apam Balik you rejoice when you see bubbles forming on the thicker pancake's surface as it is being cooked. A pockmarked Apam Balik comes from the lye water and the bicarbonate of soda so if you omit the former like I did, you have to live with fewer bubbles.

Prepare the batter and let it sit for at least an hour. Heat up a non-stick crepe pan with some vegetable oil and pour batter into it once the pan is hot enough for the batter to stick to it. When the bubbles form and the batter is almost cooked, spread the filling on half the pancake and add in pieces of butter. Normally the Apam Balik is eaten with a peanut and sugar filling, but I always prefer red bean or black sesame paste. And one normally uses margarine, but unless it's Planta (used to eat it by the spoonful), I prefer butter. Salted butter even better. With the help of the spatula, make a line in the middle of the pancake to help you fold it into half.

Well. James, hope you're happy that Auntie Lotus' fattening up today thanks to your arrival. For those in the know, I've a dinner at Jean Todt's to attend in 2 days and I need to lose some weight. But doesn't look good. Tsk tsk... (shaking head)