Wash the garlic chives well. Drain and then place them onto a clean towel, fold the towel over and roll them around to dry them very well. If you have a salad spinner, use that to dry it. Line the garlic chives up and slice into 1/2 inch pieces.
Transfer the garlic chives to a large bowl and add the sugar, soy sauce or tamari, 1 teaspoon of salt, a big pinch of black pepper, baking soda, oil and garlic. Toss to combine well and leave to marinate for 15 minutes, until the chives look wilted and have released some moisture.
Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce by combining the maple syrup, soy sauce or tamari, vinegar and dark soy sauce or kecap manis.
Grease an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set up a pot with a trivet or a steaming basket. Add 2 to 4 cups of water (make sure it is underneath the top of the trivet or doesn’t touch the bottom of the basket) and bring to the boil.
In a medium pot, add the tapioca starch and rice flour. Place on low heat and then slowly whisk in 1 cup of water. Cook, whisking often, until the mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. It should look thick like sour cream; do not overcook as it will become too thick to incorporate the garlic chives. Immediately remove from the heat.
Stir in the tenderised garlic chives and combine well. Transfer this batter into the prepared cake pan. Cover with foil. Place it onto the trivet or into the steaming basket and, with the water rapidly boiling, steam until the starch turns from white to translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. You may need to add more water during this steaming process, don’t let the pot dry out.
Once the pancakes is ready, carefully remove from the steamer. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes (you can also store in the fridge for up to a week before frying).
Remove from the pan, place the pancake onto a cutting board, and cut into 1 to 3cm (1-inch) pieces (a serrated bread knife makes slicing easier).
Place about 1 to 3cm (1-inch) of neutral oil into a small pot, frypan (skillet) or wok. Heat the oil. Insert a wooden spoon or chopsticks into the oil and if it sizzles, the oil is hot enough. Working in batches, add the chive pancakes and fry until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes on each side. Place the fried pancakes onto a paper lined plate or tray and continue cooking the pancakes.
Serve the chive pancakes warm, with the dipping sauce.