Apam Balik

Servings

3 or 4 pieces

Prep

10 min

Cook

5-7 min

Sometimes, it’s the most simplest thing you miss when you are away. Like, the way the wifi automatically connects and is super fast when you come home from a holiday, or those soft toys that have always been your sleeping companion, or the smell of freshly made pancakes. This week, I was missing this, Apam Balik. It’s a simple yeast pancake filled with peanuts and sugar. I remember waiting at the Saturday night market for these hot peanut pancakes and taking small bites in the car while no one is looking… which you can get away with when eating the thicker version of the pancake. Yes, there’s a thick and thin version. Both are equally good.

Apam Balik has many names. In English it would called a Pancake Turnover. It’s also called Martabak Manis, Terang Bulan, Apam Pulau Pinang, Kue Bandung, Kuih Haji, Min Chiang Kueh, Hok Lo Pan, Ban Jian Kuih or Chin Loong Pau. I honestly never knew there were so many names for it! It’s a typical street food which can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia.

Though I was missing this, I could not just whip it up like I normally would do. This one was made specially for a gathering with my lady friends here. In these potluck gatherings, we have Malaysian home cooked food. It’s a time where we reminisce eating family style with food we all grew up with. A time to chit chat in our mother-tongue and a time for the little kids to get together and play while the mommies enjoy their food. My contribution this time is Apam Balik and Batik Cake.

This recipe is adapted from one of my favourite Malaysian bloggers, Sea Salt with Food – Apam Balik

Pancake Batter

1¼ cups All-Purpose Flour
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Instant Yeast
1 Egg, large
3 Tablespoons Sugar
A Pinch Salt
1 cup Water

Peanut Filling

1½ - 2 cups Roasted Peanuts, coarsely grounded
½ cup Sugar
4 thin slices ( 5-10 grams each) Butter/Margarine *

Directions:

In a bowl, mix all pancake batter ingredients together till smooth.
Cover bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight.
Lightly oil a small non-stick pan on medium heat. (I did not need to oil mine, as my pan is fairly new).
Once pan is hot, add ½ cup of pancake batter and evenly coat the pan. Cook till the batter starts forming little bubbles on top.
Sprinkle some sugar and a generous amount of grounded peanuts. Cover with a lid and cook till the batter has set or has turned golden brown at the bottom.
Add sliced butter or margarine onto one half of the apam balik.
Loosen the edges and fold the apam balik into half. Transfer onto a cooling wrack and cook the rest.
Slice into quarters. Best when served warm.

Tips:

Conversion chart
*I do not like using margarine as I’m a butter person, but with these, margarine is the way to go for an authentic taste.
*Instead of adding butter or margarine in the apam balik, you can either oil the pan with it or brush it on once the apam balik is cooked.
If you are using MyFitnessPal app to count calories DON’T FOR THIS RECIPE! (I’m kiddin’), first copy the recipe URL then go to MyFitnessPal app to Recipes, select Create a New Recipe, then Add from the Web. Paste the URL, match ingredients and that’s it!
Always match ingredients to the ones you use. Ingredient nutritional facts differ depending on brand.
Nutrition Facts (based on my ingredients) : Per serving (1 apam balik/4) 369 kcal, Total Fat – 9 g, Total Carbs – 64 g, Protein – 9 g.

Selamat Menjamu Selera!