steamed daikon cake

Also called turnip cake, this dish is a traditional Cantonese snack which you'll find at most all dim-sum restaurants. The batter is shredded daikon, rice flour, Chinese sausage, and dried shrimp. Then poured into a shallow pan, it's steamed, sliced, and pan fried.

This is one of my favorite comfort foods. There's something about the crispy caramelized crust and the soft innards with strips of daikon and savory bits of sweet sausage. I like to dip mine in Chinese "sweet flour sauce," a sauce that's commonly eaten with "moo-shu"type dishes of stir-fry and thin pancakes. You can find it in the condiment aisle of the asian market.


Daikon Rice Cake

3 cups shredded daikon
2 cups rice flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/8 cup diced Chinese sausage
2 Tbsp dried shrimp, chopped

1. For the daikon: peel and shred the daikon on a box grater. Place in a medium pot, cover with water, and boil with cover on for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving a little of the liquid.

2. In a small skillet, cook the sausage and shrimp together with a bit of oil until it starts to brown.

3. Mix together rice flour and water into a thin batter. Stir in the salt, pepper and sausage mixture. Pour this back into the pot with the daikon. Stirring, cook over low heat for 1 minute. Beware of lumps.

4. Line a 8-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 1/2 inch edge to drape over the sides. Pour the daikon batter into the pan, and steam for 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and slice into flat slabs.

5. Pan fry the pieces of daikon cake until golden on all sides. Serve with sweet flour sauce or sauce of your choice.