Monday, October 27, 2014

chinese steamed radish cake 萝卜糕

I have been listing some new dishes that I can make for breakfast. Savory dishes. Because yes, this is true, people here do get tired of eating cake or muffins occasionally.

I looked around and decided that a Chinese radish cake was the way to go. It is cheap to make, and can be made ahead of time, kept frozen and thawed to be pan-fried whenever needed, and everyone loves radish cake.
This first recipe I tried was from this book that I own. I had tried other recipes from the same book with much success, so when the radish cake was done, I was really disappointed. It was not soft and I really didn't like the taste and mouth feel.

Coincidentally, a couple of days after my attempt at making the not-so-great radish cake, my friend, Sharron, posted a photo of this radish cake she had made.

That looked like the type of cake I was after, so I asked her for the recipe, and got on with making the cake!
This recipe made so much more sense to me, both in the quantities of ingredients, as well as the method of making the radish cake. And sure enough, this time round, I had a soft radish cake.

I am in radish cake heaven!
Here are the step-by-step pictorial instructions on how to make this. You should really try making this at home because it is so so good and cost so much less than what is being sold in the shops.

Start by steaming the Chinese sausage (and Chinese bacon, if using) for about 5 minutes. Once steamed, let them cool before finely dicing them. I didn't have Chinese bacon, so I doubled the quantity of the Chinese sausage.
If you are using dried radish, soak them in warm water for about 10-15 minutes before chopping them into small pieces.
Similarly, soak the dried shrimps in warm water also for 10-15 minutes. If the shrimps are big, chop them into smaller pieces. I used smaller shrimps so I left them whole.
Thinly slice the shallots and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together rice flour and wheat starch. Set this aside.
Add a little oil into a heated wok. Fry the Chinese sausage (and Chinese bacon) for a minute or so.
Add dried shrimps and fry until fragrant.
Add dried radish and fry a further one to two minutes. Transfer this into a bowl and set aside.
In the same wok, add a little more oil. Fry the shallots until they are soft.
Add radish and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Season with white pepper.
Add chicken (or vegetable) stock.
Cover the wok and cook over medium heat until the radish has turned tender and translucent. This will take about 4-5 minutes. Once cooked, transfer this (carefully) into a large bowl.
Add the flours and stir to mix.
Add the cooked ingredients and stir until well-distributed.
You should be able to stir the mixture without needing to use much force. If you find that you need to put in quite a bit of effort to stir, add a little water.
Transfer the mixture into a lightly greased 7x7-inch pan, or 8-inch round pan, or 2 9x5-inch loaf pans.
Smooth the tops and steam over high heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
To test if the cake is done. insert a chopstick into the cake. If it emerges cleanly, then it is ready.
Cool the cake, wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 4 hours before cutting into pieces.
Pan-frying them with a little oil.
Alternatively, you can also eat the cake as is, garnished with chopped spring onion, fried shallots and sliced chili.

RECIPE
Chinese Steamed Radish Cake 萝卜糕 (Makes 12-14 slices)
Adapted from Christine's Recipes

Ingredients:
1 kg Chinese white radish (daikon), shredded
170 g rice flour
4 ablespoons wheat starch
40 gm Chinese sausage (臘腸)
45 gm Chinese bacon (臘肉) - I replace with the same quantity of Chinese sausage
55 gm Chinese dried shrimps
60 gm salted radish
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup (180ml) unsalted chicken broth
pinch of white pepper

Method:
1. Steam the Chinese sausage (and Chinese bacon, if using) for about 5 minutes. Once steamed, let them cool before finely dicing them.
2. If you are using dried radish, soak them in warm water for about 10-15 minutes before chopping them into small pieces.
3. Similarly, soak the dried shrimps in warm water also for 10-15 minutes. If the shrimps are big, chop them into smaller pieces. I used smaller shrimps so I left them whole.
4. In a large bowl, mix together rice flour and wheat starch. Set this aside.
5. Add a little oil into a heated wok. Fry the Chinese sausage (and Chinese bacon) for a minute or so.
6. Add dried shrimps and fry until fragrant.
7. Add dried radish and fry a further one to two minutes. Transfer this into a bowl and set aside.
8. In the same wok, add a little more oil. Fry the shallots until they are soft.
9. Add radish and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.Season with white pepper. Add chicken (or vegetable) stock.
10. Cover the wok and cook over medium heat until the radish  has turned tender and translucent. This will take about 4-5 minutes. Once cooked, transfer this (carefully) into a large bowl. Add the flours and stir to mix.
11. Add the cooked ingredients and stir until well-distributed. You should be able to stir the mixture without needing much force. If you find that you need to put in quite a bit of effort to stir, add a little water.
12. Transfer the mixture into a lightly greased 7x7-inch pan, or 8-inch round pan, or 2 9x5-inch loaf pans.
13. Smooth the tops and steam over high heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour. To test if the cake is done. insert a chopstick into the cake. If it emerges cleanly, then it is ready.
14. Cool the cake, wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 4 hours before cutting into pieces and pan-frying them with a little oil. Alternatively, you can also eat the cake as is, garnished with chopped spring onion, fried shallots and sliced chili.

I went to Ikea the other day to get a bed for my little girl and Christmas decorations are already being sold! Yes! It is THAT TIME OF THE YEAR to eat, drink and be merry! Are you getting excited? :)

Are you planning to cook anything special for this Christmas???  Or maybe start baking batches of delicious Christmas goodies? For Christmas 2014, Yen from Eat your heart out, Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and yours truly, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and  are cooking and celebrating for the whole month of December 2014 starting on 1st December. Join us and remember to link your post with us if you are cooking something special for your Christmas celebration.




2 comments:

  1. I'll definitely try this the next time with more 'liao' instead of my simple version. Good idea to serve it in 2 ways.

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  2. Diana, this I like! I like! Is this the radish cake that can also be cut into cubes and then stir fried like char koay teow? If I am not mistake it is called "char koay kark". I am bookmarking this recipe but have to put on hold first because these things go straight to my thighs, my butt and my "pork belly" LOL!

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