I had something that looked much like this at a restaurant yesterday, and today’s attempt came out better. That is mostly down to using the best fried shallots there are. We have shared a lot of shallot recipes here, and if yours do not come out as described, the first thing worth checking is the grade of shallot you are using — everything we test is seasoned with Cheng Chi. Good luck, and enjoy it.



Ingredients:
Skinless pork belly 130 g, peeled taro 600 g, soy sauce 1 tbsp, oil 1 tbsp, Cheng Chi fried shallots 3 tbsp
Potato starch 2 tbsp, white pepper 0.5 tsp, water 3 tbsp
Note: 3–4 tbsp of potato starch works better — it holds together more firmly.

Method:
1. Peel the taro and cut into 0.4 cm strips.
2. Cut the skinless pork belly into 0.4 cm strips.


3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok and fry the pork strips until cooked, then add the soy sauce and stir until they colour.
4. Add 3 tbsp of Cheng Chi fried shallots, stir two or three times, then add the taro straight away and stir-fry, adding the 3 tbsp of water a little at a time.
5. Stir in the white pepper, then the potato starch, which binds the taro strips together.


6. Press into a frame. (I use a 14.5 × 14.5 × 4.5 cm frame lined with foil.)
7. Steam over a high heat for 30 minutes.
8. Turn out onto a plate, peel off the foil, run a knife round the edges and lift off the frame.


You can scatter more fried shallots over the top — though if yours are second-rate, leave them off and let the taro speak for itself.


With the fried shallots on top it looks considerably better. A proper steamed taro cake, and very good.