A traditional dish often served for Lunar New Year, this Chinese taro cake is loaded with flavor thanks to umami-rich tasty toppings! It's a tradition definitely worth keeping up!
½teaspoonfish sauce(optional for stirring into rice solution)
Instructions
In mixing bowl, combine rice flour, salt, white pepper and sugar. Whisk together and set aside.
Add dried shrimp and scallops to 2 cups hot water and let soak until full hydrated, at least 1 hour.
Drain rehydrated shrimp and scallops, reserving soaking liquid.
Run Chinese sausages under hot water to help soften and to make easier to cut. Chop sausages into small diced pieces.
Roughly chop shrimp; break scallops into shreds using fingers. Combine with chopped Chinese sausage; set aside.
Combine cubed taro root and water in a pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Drain.
Measure out 1 ½ cups of reserved soaking liquid and warm up slightly in the microwave, about 30 seconds. (See Recipe Notes below). Add to bowl containing rice flour mixture and mix well with a whisk.
Spread cooked taro root in greased dish. Whisk rice flour mixture again and pour over taro root.
Sprinkle shrimp, scallop and Chinese sausage mixture over the taro and rice flour liquid. Gently push toppings into liquid so they are at least partially submerged.
Steam for 30 minutes over medium heat.
Top with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
Let cool completely before cutting. Eat at room temperature or microwave individual servings. Serve with chili sauce or soy sauce. if desired.
Notes
Volume measurements for the rice flour is approximately 1 ½ cups, with the rice flour loosely scooped. *Using the weight measurement as stated in the recipe is more accurate and will yield more reliable results.
Be sure to use regular rice flour and not glutinous rice flour.
When reheating the reserved liquid before adding to the rice flour mixture, you do not want it hot, only warmed slightly. Microwave for just 30 seconds.
Do not worry if the rice flour clumps a bit when you start to whisk it with the warmed liquid. Gently shake the whisk to loosen up the clumps and continue to whisk until smooth.
I used a deep dish pie plate, but you can also use an 8x8 dish, a loaf pan, or another circular dish of similar volume. Round foil pans are traditionally used as the cakes are often gifted to family and friends for Chinese New Year.
You can find taro root, rice flour, Chinese sausage (lop cheng), dried shrimp, and dried scallops at your local Asian market.
Dried shrimp and scallops can vary in size. I bought small ones as they were more affordable than larger ones, but whatever you can find will do. Because of the variance in size, it is best to go by the weight measurement in the recipe to determine how much to use.
Using Chinese mushrooms for your topping will add extra flavor to your taro cake.
Purchase dried Chinese mushrooms from your local Asian market and, depending on the size of the mushroom, use 2 large ones and 3-4 small ones.
Rehydrate them in hot water for 1-2 hours until fully hydrated. Remember to reserve the soaking liquid!
Trim off the mushroom stems and finely dice the mushroom caps. Mix with the lop cheng, shrimp, and scallops to spread on the taro cake.
Combine the soaking water from the mushrooms and the shrimp and scallops, and the measure out the correct amount for the recipe.
You can add ½ teaspoon of fish sauce to the rice solution to add more of a umami flavor to the cake. This is optional.
I steam the taro cake over medium heat, enough to keep the water at a medium boil. You do not want it at a full rolling boil over high heat, and you do not want the water simmering over low heat.
Check the water level halfway through steaming and refill with hot water, if necessary (I use hot water I have just boiled in a kettle).
The taro cake is best eaten warm. Store leftovers in the fridge and then reheat individual servings in the microwave
You can freeze taro cakes! If planning to freeze, omit the chopped green onion garnish. Let cake cook completely, cover and seal well, and store in the freezer. When ready to use, remove covering and steam until completely heated through, approximately 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped green onion at this point.