Daikon Cake
Total time: 14 hr 30 min
Active time: 30 min
Serves: 10
Daikon cake is a steamed, savory cake originating from China. It is a mainstay of Chinese New Year.
Ingredients
30 ounces daikon
6 ounces rice flour
6 ounces water
If available:
3 dried scallops
6 dried shrimps
6 shiitake mushrooms
2 Chinese sausage
1 pinch salt
Hardware
steamer
Preparation
Soak dried shrimps and dried scallops in water overnight in refrigerator.
Steps
Peel daikon. Cut daikon into small pieces, about 1/2-cm or 1/5-inch.
Put daikon into a pot. Cover and cook under medium-high heat.
Warm a small pot under low heat.
Cut Chinese sausage into tiny pieces. Put into small pot.
Cut dried shrimps into tiny pieces. Add to small pot and stir.
Cut dried scallops and shiitake mushrooms into tiny pieces. Add to pot with daikon and stir.
Add salt and soaking water to pot.
When water starts to boil, add Chinese sausage and dried shrimps from small pot. Stir until well-mixed.
Turn off heat to pot.
Add rice flour in batches and stir in between batches.
Fill steamer with water and place under high heat.
When water in steamer boils, cover pot and place into steamer. Steam for two hours.
Savor while steaming hot, or refrigerate, cut into pieces and fry.
Notes
A good weight ratio of daikon daikon to rice flour to water is 5:1:1.
According to the Japanese, a daikon can be divided into three parts, each having a slightly different taste. Closest to the leaves, the top part is the least pungent, most suitable for raw consumption. Flesh in the middle part is the softest and sweetness, most suitable for braising and stewing. The lowest third is the most pungent, which is suitable for pickling