Apam balik is a thick, honeycombed pancake cooked in a heavy pan until the base is crisp and golden, then showered with crushed roasted peanuts, sugar and butter and folded over. The filling turns sandy and buttery against the soft, spongy crumb. Makes 8 pieces in about 1 hr 37 min.
Prep15 min
Cook22 min
Cooling1 hr
Total
1 hr 37 min
Yield
8 pieces
Ingredients
Adjust yield
pieces
Scales from a half to a double batch; give a bigger batch a little more time.
1 ⅔ cups (200 g)all-purpose flour
3 tbsp (40 g)sugar, for the batter
1 tsp (4 g)baking powder
½ tsp (2 g)baking soda
1 pinch (1 g)salt
1(50 g)egg, large
1 cup (230 ml)water, room temperature
2 tsp (10 ml)neutral oil, for greasing the pan
1 cup (120 g)roasted peanuts, unsalted, skins removed
Whisk the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat the egg with the water and whisk it into the dry ingredients until smooth and thick, like heavy cream. Cover and rest at room temperature for 1 hour; the batter will turn slightly bubbly.
Meanwhile, pulse the roasted peanuts in a food processor or crush them in a bag with a rolling pin until coarse and sandy, with some small pieces left. Mix with the sugar for the filling.
Heat the skillet over medium-low heat for 3 minutes and wipe it with a little of the neutral oil. Stir the batter gently and pour in half of it, swirling the pan so it spreads in an even layer and climbs slightly up the sides.
Cover and cook until the surface is full of holes and just set and the underside is deep golden and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Lower the heat if the base browns before the top sets.
Dot half the butter over the surface and scatter half the peanut-sugar filling evenly on top. Cook uncovered 1 minute more so the butter starts to melt.
Fold the pancake in half with a wide spatula, press lightly and slide it onto a board. Cut into 4 wedges while hot. Repeat with the remaining oil, batter, butter and filling, then serve warm.
Tips
A heavy cast-iron or carbon steel pan gives the crisp, lacy base hawkers are known for; a thin pan scorches before the pancake sets.
Do not overmix the batter after resting; gentle stirring keeps the bubbles that make the honeycomb crumb.
Crush the peanuts fresh; pre-ground peanuts turn pasty instead of crunchy.
Good with kopi or hot soy milk.
Made this?
Log it to keep your bakes, ratings and notes together in My Kitchen.
How long does it take to make apam balik (peanut turnover pancake)?
Plan on 15 minutes of prep and 22 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour to rest. The recipe makes 8 pieces.
How should I store apam balik (peanut turnover pancake)?
Best eaten within an hour; leftovers keep covered at room temperature for up to 1 day and re-crisp in a dry skillet over low heat in 3 to 4 minutes.
Can I make apam balik (peanut turnover pancake) ahead?
It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.
Serve it with kopi or hot soy milk.
Variations
Peanut and creamed corn: spoon 60 g (1/4 cup) canned creamed corn over each pancake with the peanuts; cook 1 minute longer before folding.
Thin and crispy (apam balik nipis): spread 1/4 of the batter very thinly in the pan and cook uncovered until crisp all over, 3 to 4 minutes, then fill and fold; makes 4 smaller crisp pancakes.
Toasted coconut: replace 40 g (1/3 cup) of the peanuts with toasted unsweetened grated coconut; cook time unchanged, and the pancake then contains coconut.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.
256Calories / serving
11.2gFat
32.7gCarbs
7.2gProtein
12.0gSugar
Whole recipe (8 servings):
~2048 cal ·
90g fat ·
262g carbs ·
58g protein ·
96g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
Recipe Rating
0 commentsNo comments yet — be the first to share how this turned out for you.
Leave a comment