Bibingka Pancakes

Method

1. Whisk rice flour, wheat flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. These are mixed-flour home pancakes, not fermented galapong cakes; glutinous flour is not a direct substitute for the regular rice flour.
2. In another bowl whisk coconut milk, egg, measured water and melted butter. Use butter that is warm rather than hot so it does not cook the egg. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until no dry flour remains.
3. Rest the batter for 10 minutes. It should fall from a spoon in a thick flowing ribbon; stir in a tablespoon of water only if it has become too stiff to spread. Have grated cheese and the fully cooked salted-egg slices ready.
4. Heat a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and wipe with a little of the pan oil. Portion roughly 90–95 g batter for each pancake and spread to about 12 cm across. Make only as many as fit without touching.
5. Lay a few thin salted-egg slices on each pancake and sprinkle with a little cheese while the top is still wet. Cover the skillet for about 2 minutes, then uncover. Wait until bubbles break and the edges look set before turning with a broad spatula.
6. Cook the second side for 1–2 minutes until the pancake springs back and no wet batter remains inside. Check the first pancake before repeating; lower heat if the cheese browns faster than the centre cooks. Wipe the pan and lightly oil between batches.
7. Serve hot, optionally dusted with the finishing sugar. Keep finished pancakes on a rack in a low oven only for the short time needed to complete the batch. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat thoroughly, since coconut milk and egg do not make shelf-stable pancakes.