Lapis Sagu (Steamed Layered Rice and Sago Flour Cake)

Lapis Sagu

Whether I was 3 or 30, I always eat Lapis Sagu in layers, peeling one layer off the other. And my children do the same too, though they have not been brought up in Singapore. Over here we do not have Bengawan Solo to buy the lapis sagu from so I was obliged to make my own.

Lapis Sagu (not cooled, badly sliced)

Lapis Sagu :

500ml Coconut milk

200g Rice Flour

140g Sago or Tapioca Flour

1/4 Tsp Salt

280g Sugar

Screwpine leaves or a drop of Pandan essence

300ml Water

Red, green etc food colouring

Oil

Mix the rice, sago flour and salt.

Add in the coconut milk and make a smooth batter.

Prepare the syrup by boiling the sugar with the water and screwpine leaves. Or add in a drop of the pandan essence when the syrup is ready.

Add the syrup to the flour mix and stir well.

Coloured batter

Divide into a few portions to colour them.

Oil the container and prepare to steam the batter.

End of steaming

Steam each layer for 3-4 minutes, adding on another layer each time the one before is ready. When batter's all used up, steam for another 15 minutes and then cool the lapis sagu for a few hours (but not in the fridge). Makes it easier to cut and eat.

A slice of the lapis sagu before it was thoroughly cooled

I forgot to oil my container and I didn't colour my batter strongly, so the end result was pastel and I lost 2 layers while demolding the cake. There should be about 9 layers altogether. Never got to the cooling-for-a-few-hours stage, the whole family ate it up within minutes.

PS : Kueh Kosui uses a similar recipe but instead of white sugar one has to use Gula Melaka and Brown Sugar. And steam them in little cups to be served when cooled with lightly-salted fresh grated coconut.