GEORGE TOWN, Feb 15 – The soft and fluffy apom balik, simply known as “apong” in Hokkien, is a Nyonya treat that’s becoming quite rare in Penang as the hawkers making this have dwindled over the years.

Not to be confused with the Indian-styled appam, this apom balik is almost like the Western-style fluffy pancakes but is smaller with a softer texture. It also has local flavours of coconut milk, bananas and sweet corn.

Usually eaten as a snack, it used to be easily found at kuih stalls in wet markets. Nowadays, only a few stalls sell the apom balik freshly made.

The fluffy pancake probably derived its name from the traditional Indian appam which means rice pancake and the term “balik” probably referred to it being turned and folded before it is served.

The Indian appam, which is made from rice flour and coconut milk, is a thin and crispy pancake with a soft fragrant centre. Just as the Indian appam is light and crispy, the Nyonya-style apom balik is thick, rich and buttery soft.

The batter is made from eggs, rice milk, coconut milk, sugar and freshly grated coconut. No flour is added to the batter to maintain the apom balik’s fluffy soft texture. In its preparation, the batter is poured onto palm-sized round holes on a large hot steel pan and left to cook. As the batter begins to form, sugar will be sprinkled on top before slices of ripe bananas and a scoop of canned sweet corn are added to it.

Once it’s cooked through, the pancakes are scooped out, folded and placed on racks behind a glass counter. If customers are waiting, it’s scooped directly into plastic bags, as the apom balik is a take-away snack to be enjoyed at home or on the go.

The result is a soft, aromatic pancake with rich coconut flavours that offers up some sweetness from the ripe banana slices and added texture from the sweet corn.

Nowadays, there is also a variation to the pancake where it’s flavoured with pandan and tinged light green for those who prefer a different flavour.

In Penang, the most famous apom balik stalls have to be Apom Chooi and his brother Apom Guan along Burmah Road. The brothers, who each run their own stall, used to operate their stalls next to each other but somehow, due to a dispute, they are now placed about 30 metres apart but still along the same road.

Due to the rarity of standalone apom balik stalls, here are only three stalls in Penang to try the apom balik hot from the pan:

Apom Chooi, Burmah Road

Time: 1.30pm – 8pm

GPS: 5.422865,100.32231

Apom Guan, Burmah Road

Time: 1.30pm – 8pm

GPS: 5.423097,100.32194

Genting Café, Island Glades

Time: 11am – 3pm

GPS: 5.382976,100.303961