Steamed Taro Cake

Ingredients:

• 1¾ cup (250g) taro - diced finely 
• 1/3 cup (30g) dried shrimps - diced finely 
• 1/4 cup (30g) Chinese sausage - diced finely 
• 1/2 cup (6 medium) shiitake mushrooms - diced finely 
• 2 cups (240g) rice flour 
• 4 cups (950 ml) water 
• 3 tbsp. cooking oil 
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp pepper 
• 1½ tbsp. soy sauce 
• 2 tsp oyster sauce  (If you prefer not to use oyster sauce, you can replace water with chicken stock )
• scallion (optional - garnish) 
• deep-fried shallots (optional - garnish) 
• chilli sauce (optional) 

Directions:

1. Soak the dried shrimps and dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes or till soft.
2. Peel taro and discard the skin. Dice the taro, dried shrimps, Chinese sausage and shiitake mushrooms into fine pieces. Mix the rice flour and water in a large bowl.
3. Heat up 3 tbsp. of oil in a wok or pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add dried shrimps, Chinese sausage and fry for about 1-2 minutes till aromatic. Then add mushrooms, taro and give everything a good stir. Add the seasonings - five spice powder, salt, pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce. Mix the ingredients up well, and stir-fry till aromatic (about 2-3 minutes).
4. Turn the heat down to low, add rice flour and water batter to the cooked ingredients. Stir the batter continuously, scraping the sides and bottom if batter sticks. It will start to thicken slowly. Continue to stir vigorously. Cook the batter until it becomes a thick paste, almost like a thick oatmeal (see pictures below). The general rule is the thinner the consistency the softer the cake (which can be slightly adjusted based on personal preference).
5. Transfer the batter into a greased container for steaming. Steam over high heat for about 45 minutes. When done, an inserted chopstick should come out clean or almost clean.
6. Transfer cake to a rack. Remove cake from steaming container after it has (mostly) cooled down, to allow the cake to firm-up. Garnish with scallions and deep-fried shallots before serving. I love eating this with chilli sauce.

(To pan-fry, cut cake into thick slices. Heat up 1-2 tbsp. of oil in pan over high heat and pan-fry till browned on both sides. It should be quick since cake is already cooked.)






Source: www.dimsumptuous.com/2013/07/steamed-taro-or-yam-cake.html