This recipe is extremely simple, written specifically for steaming radish cake in a rice cooker — but pushed as far as it will go, in both quantity and flavour. It fills the pot, smells wonderful, has a fine texture, and will keep you pleased with yourself for several days and glad to share it around.

 

Yield:One 10-cup inner pot of radish cake

Equipment:A 35 cm wok, anda 10-cup rice cooker with a 10-cup inner pot (bigger is better, if you have it)
 
Step one — fry the filling:

Pork lard 2 tbsp

Dried shiitake 13 g

Dried shrimp 40 g

Pork, cut into strips 170 g

Soy sauce 2 tbsp

 

Cheng Chi fried shallots 60 g (used at step five)

 

Method: heat the lard in a wok and fry the pork strips until fragrant, then add the soaked and chopped shiitake and fry until it smells right. Add the rinsed dried shrimp and fry, then the soy sauce. Set aside.

 

 
Step two — make the batter
Rice flour 600 g

Cold water 900 g

Method: combine the two and mix until smooth.

 

 

 
Step three — cook the shredded radish

White radish, rinsed, peeled and shredded 1400 g

Water 1100 g
 
Sugar 28 g
Salt 18 g
White pepper 2 g
Method: put the shredded radish and water in the large wok, cover and bring to the boil over a high heat,then add the seasoning and keep boiling hard for 3 minutes.(Use a wok of at least 35 cm, or there will be no room to stir once the batter goes in.)
 

 

 

Step four —turn off the heatand pour in the rice batter slowly, stirring until it gelatinises into a thick white paste
 

 

Step five — add the fried filling and57–60 g of Cheng Chi fried shallots, and mix through evenly

 
 
 

 

Step six — pour into an oiled inner pot. Put 2 cups of water in the outer pot; when it switches off, add another 2 cups. About 1–1.5 hours in total. Let it cool completely before turning it out.

 

 
 
 
 
Step seven — while it is hot you can brush the surface with lard or shallot sauce, which slows the drying and hardening of the top as it cools.

 

Note 1: you can replace half the white radish with taro, for a taro radish cake.

Note 2: this recipe is very soft. With white radish alone, reduce each of the two water quantities by at least 100 g so it is not too soft.Less water again gives a firmer texture.

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