Kuih Talam Gula Merah/Gula Melaka (Steamed Palm Sugar Cake)

• Brush your pan with some oil and then lined with parchment paper. I only line the bottom this time. You can line the sides too if you want. Bring the water in the steamer to a boil. Wrap the lid with a cloth to prevent water condensation drips on the cake

Prepare the gula Melaka layer (bottom layer):

• Mix mung bean starch, tapioca starch, rice flour, and sugar in a saucepan. Whisk to mix.
• Simmer gula Melaka and water until the sugar melts. Strain and let it cools down to warm. Add the mung bean mixture and whisk until smooth with no lump. Strain if necessary. Add alkaline water
• Cook this mixture over low heat until it thickens slightly. It will coat the back of your spatula and there will be bits of curdles here and there. Turn off the heat. It's important not to cook until it becomes too thick like a dough. The consistency should be pourable. Don't worry about the curdles. They will even out during steaming
• Pour this into a prepared pan and steam over medium high heat for 20 minutes or until the layer is set on top. The layer will still be wobbly, but it shouldn't be wet anymore

Prepare the coconut milk layer (top layer):

• You can use either option 1 or 2 for the coconut layer. Option 1 requires cooking on the stove. Option 2 doesn't. I use option 2 in my Kuih Talam Pandan recipe. Both work just fine

For option 1:

• Mix rice flour, tapioca starch, and salt. Whisk to mix. Pour in the coconut milk and water and mix again. Keep whisking until the mixture is smooth. Strain if necessary to get rid of lumps
• Cook this mixture over low heat until it thickens slightly. Just coat the back of the spatula and then remove from the heat
• Gently pour this layer over the gula Melaka layer and steam over medium heat for 15-17 minutes or until the layer is set. It's important not to crank up the heat for this layer or the surface can be bumpy and not smooth

For option 2:

• Mix rice flour, tapioca starch, and salt. Whisk to mix. Pour in the coconut milk and mix again. Gradually add in the hot boiling water and keep whisking until the mixture is smooth. Strain if necessary to get rid of lumps
• Gently pour this layer over the gula Melaka layer and steam over medium heat for 15-17 minutes or until the layer is set. It's important not to crank up the heat for this layer or the surface can be bumpy and not smooth

Serving:

• Let the kuih talam cools down completely, which may take 2 hours or so. Rub the knife with some oil or use a plastic knife to cut the kuih talam into the size and shape you like and serve. Wipe the knife with a paper towel after each cut

Storage:

• If it's not humid where you are, you can keep it at room temperature for about a day, after that keep them in air-tight container in the fridge for about 3 days for best result. The longer you keep, the tougher the kueh will be. I find them still have great texture for 3 days in the fridge, then it starts to toughen a bit. A quick reheat in the microwave or steamer will bring the soft wobbly texture back