Preparation
To prepare a turnip cake, Chinese radish (similar to daikon) are first shredded. Chinese radish, either the white-and-green variety or the all-white variety, is one of the key ingredients since it makes up a large portion of the cake. The other key ingredients are water and rice flour. Corn starch is sometimes added as it aids in binding the cake together, especially when a large number of additional ingredients (see list below) are added. The ingredients are stirred together until combined.
Additional ingredients that provide umami flavouring can be also added. They include chopped-up pieces of:
- Dried shrimp
- Dried Shiitake
- Chinese sausage
- Jinhua ham
These flavoring ingredients may first be stir-fried before being added to the radish and flour/starch mixture. Somewhat more luxurious cakes will add larger amounts of these ingredients directly to the mixture. Cheaper variants, especially those sold in dim sum restaurants will often just have a sprinkling on the top, to keep costs down.
This combined mixture is then poured in a steamer lined with greased aluminum foil or cellophane, and steamed at high heat for 40 to 60 minutes until it solidifies into a gelatinous mass.
Note that variations for specific tastes do exist omitting some of the ingredients above and adding others.
For those with allergies to radishes, some recipes substitute turnip for radish. Taro or pumpkin cakes are other variants.
Read more about this topic: Turnip Cake
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