Malaysian Peanut Pancake, also known as Apam Balik, is a snack that features thick pancakes with a sweet filling. This golden-brown, crispy-on-the-outside, half-moon-shaped pancake is made with flour, coconut milk, and eggs. These quintessential Malaysian snacks embody the country’s vibrant street food culture with their satisfying balance of crunch and sweetness, thanks to the toasted peanut and coconut sugar filling. Enjoy these slightly caramelized pancakes, thick or thin, and crispy as a snack any time of the day!
One of my first Southeast Asian culinary experiences in Singapore was the Malaysian Peanut Pancake. My husband introduced me to these delicious pancakes at one of the ubiquitous hawker centers. I was enthralled by the wide variety of foods that the hawker centers offered. We stopped at a stall at the extreme opposite end of the wet market, which was both dry and airy.
The peanut pancake is essentially a folded pancake with a chewy, honeycombed center, filled with a variety of toppings and encased in a crispy exterior. This has been one of the most delicious desserts I have ever had – warm, chewy honeycomb center smothered with sweetened crushed peanuts.
What is the Malaysian Peanut Pancake?
When I asked my husband about this snack, he told me it goes by various names, but the one most people call it is Apam Balik. Apam is the Indian-origin Malay word for pancake, and Balik means to return or, in this context, to turn over or fold. I later discovered that this dish was first introduced in Penang, Malaysia, by Chinese immigrants (as Min Chiang Hueh), but is also prevalent in the Philippines and Indonesia. The key difference between the regular pancake and the Malaysian Peanut Pancake is its characteristic honeycombed structure, resulting from the use of coconut milk in the batter.
Other fillings:
While the traditional pancakes are made with peanuts, there are other toppings, both traditional and relatively modern. It is a misnomer to suggest that this pancake can be savory. It’s essentially a dessert pancake, and while one can add creamed sweet corn (jagung in Malay), courtesy of the Colombian Exchange, it can also be served plain with palm sugar, jaggery, or grated coconut.
Southeast Asia is an Asian culinary melting pot. Specifically, Malaysia and Singapore are heavily influenced by both Far Eastern and South Asian cuisines. It is also influenced by local Malay and Indonesian traditions and colonial history. It is only natural that there is confusion over the names. For example, a ‘Martabak Manis’, is an Indonesia sweet pancake that is similar to the Malaysian Peanut Pancake, both in method and taste.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How can I make these Malaysian Peanut Pancakes thin and crispy?
I made thick pancakes, but you can also make them thin and crispy. Spoon half the batter as you would for the regular pancakes, and use a crepe batter spreader or the back of a ladle to make thin pancakes. Pour the batter into the center of the griddle, and use circular wrist motions to spread it around. Fill the pancakes with the sweet peanut filling and fold them when they start to curl up on the edges. Look for browning on the bottom when folding them. Please use water instead of coconut milk if making them crispy.
2. Can I use all-purpose flour?
These pancakes are commonly made with all-purpose flour. I wanted to give them a healthy twist, so I used whole wheat flour. Combine bread and all-purpose flour to get fluffy pancakes.
3. How can I customize these pancakes?
The traditional filling for the Malaysian Peanut Pancake is toasted peanuts with palm sugar. Other variations are toasted coconut, sweetened condensed milk, butter, jaggery or palm sugar, and honey.
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Ingredients:
For the pancake batter:
For the peanut filling:
- Flour: whole wheat bread flour (or use bread flour), golden or white whole wheat flour (or use all-purpose flour)
- Leavening agents: yeast, baking powder
- Oil: peanut oil
- Coconut milk: fresh coconut milk (or use canned coconut milk)
- Egg
- Honey
- Sugar: coconut palm sugar and dark brown sugar (or use cane sugar)
- Nuts: peanuts, toasted and crushed
- Butter for greasing
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make this dish. Please refer to the recipe card below for the measurements.
How to make the Malaysian Peanut Pancake:
- Make the batter: Use a hand whisk to whisk the egg, coconut milk, honey, yeast, and peanut oil in a large mixing bowl. Add the whole wheat, bread flour and the white whole wheat flour, sifted with baking powder and salt. Whisk them until there are no lumps. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
3. Make the peanut pancake: Heat a griddle. Use a teaspoon of butter and kitchen paper to grease the griddle. Spoon out enough batter onto the griddle to make a 6″ thick pancake. Cook the pancake by placing a lid and cooking on low heat. When the centers of the pancakes are no longer jiggly and firm to the touch, remove the lid and spoon some of the filling onto each pancake. Cook for a few seconds. Gently lift the pancake from one side and fold it in half, and press it down with the spatula.
3. Serve the Malaysian Peanut Pancake as a snack or with coffee.
1. Use a 9″ pan with sides to get a thicker and more rounded pancake.
2. Grease the pan with butter prior to spooning the batter to get a caramelized, crispy exterior.
3. Cook the Malaysian Peanut Pancake on low heat to allow time to cook the batter and not burn the bottom of the pancake.
4. To make thin and crispy pancakes, spoon half the batter as you would for the regular pancakes and use a crepe batter spreader or the back of a ladle to make thin pancakes. Pour the batter into the center of the griddle, and use circular wrist motions to spread it around. Fill the pancakes with the sweet peanut filling once they are firm to the touch, and fold them when they start to curl at the edges. Look for browning on the bottom as you fold them.
5. Cover the spooned pancake batter with a glass lid and cook on low heat until bubbles appear on top. Top with the peanut filling once the center of the pancake is no longer jiggly.
Serving suggestions:
Serve the pancake with hot tea. Enjoy them as a snack, with ice cream for dessert, or with coffee for breakfast.
Storage:
The batter can be refrigerated for a week or frozen in an airtight box for a month. Cooked Malaysian Peanut Pancakes can be frozen between wax papers in freezer-safe boxes for three months.
Other Malaysian-Singaporean desserts that you might like:
Malaysian Peanut Pancake
Equipment
- stand mixer, stovetop
Ingredients
For the pancake batter:
- ¼ cup white whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup whole wheat bread flour
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¾ tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup fresh coconut milk
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
For the filling:
- ¼ cup roasted peanut coarsely ground
- 1 tbsp coconut palm sugar
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter for greasing
Instructions
How to make the batter:
- Prepare the ingredients for the batter.
- Prepare the ingredients for the filling. Roast and crush the peanuts. Mix the peanuts and the palm sugar together and keep it aside.
- Use a hand whisk to whisk the egg, coconut milk, honey, yeast, and peanut oil in a large mixing bowl. Add the bread whole wheat, and the white whole wheat flour, sifted with baking powder and salt. Whisk them until there are no lumps. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
How to make the peanut pancake:
- Heat a griddle. Use a teaspoon of butter and kitchen paper to grease the griddle. Spoon out enough batter onto the griddle to make a 6" thick pancake. Cook the pancake by placing a lid and cooking on low heat. When the centers of the pancakes are no longer jiggly and firm to the touch, remove the lid and spoon some of the filling onto each pancake. Cook for a few seconds. Gently lift the pancake from one side and fold it in half, and press it down with the spatula.
- Serve the Malaysian Peanut Pancake as a snack or with coffee.
Notes
Nutrition
I absolutely love this recipe! So simple to follow and the results are excellent!
Thanks!