Chinese New Year Taro Cake

I have been very busy with cooking Chinese New Year cakes for the past few days. Taro is my favourite food, so it couldn’t be missed out on my cooking list for Chinese New Year. The taro used here was the leftover after making the Taro & Pearl Dessert, and was kept in the freezer until now. It’s indeed a good one, after cooking for a little while, it turned tender enough to my taste. Although it’s not the favourite of my daughter, she still liked to eat some because of the accompanied XO sauce. If any dish can go with any sauce, she would like to eat. Haha…

Taro cake is also one of popular snacks in Hong Kong, that can be easily found in Chinese restaurants. The Chinese word of 糕（gao, means cake or pudding）sounds the same as “rising”, ” growth”, “achieving higher level” in all endeavours. No wonder why Chinese people like eating all kinds of cakes, including this one during Chinese New year season.

Today is the first day of The year of the Ox, coincidentally falls on Australia Day!
Wish you all a prosperous and happy Chinese New Year! Happy “Niu” Year! (“Niu” means ox in Chinese Mandarin, sounds like “new”)

Ingredients:

• 600 gm taro, diced
• 180 gm rice flour
• 3 cups water
• 2 Chinese sausages (臘腸)
• 4 to 5 Chinese dried mushrooms
• 10 gm dried shrimps

Seasoning:

• 2 tsp chicken stock powder
• 3/4 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• pinch of white pepper
• dash of sesame oil
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• green onion, diced, for garnish

Method:

1. Rinse and soak Chinese mushrooms in water until tender. Cut into small pieces. Soak dried shrimps and chopped coarsely, use a food processor if you like. Set aside.
2. Mix chicken stock powder, five spice powder, sugar, salt and white pepper in a cup of water. Add a dash of sesame oil. Combine with rice flour very well.
3. Add diced taro into 2 cups of boiling water and bring to a boil again. Cook for about 10 minutes. Don’t let it dry up and leave some water with the taro. Remove from heat, toss in fried Chinese sausages, mushrooms and dried shrimps (see picture). Immediately fold in rice flour mixture and mix very well into a thick batter.
4. Pour the batter into a greased tray, 8-inch round. Use a spatula to even the surface. Steam over high heat with cover, about 60 minutes. Check the water level and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Insert a chopstick into the middle part. If it comes out clean, the taro cake is cooked through. Sprinkle with chopped spring onion. Serve hot. Or let cool and refrigerate with cover for 4 hours. Cut into pieces, fry both sides until golden brown over medium heat.
   

Tips:

1. While cooking taro, use medium-low heat. Don’t use high heat or cook too long. Just about 10 minutes. The amount of water left with the taro should not be too much, the cake would be too soft otherwise.
2. If you like to enjoy chunks of taro with bite texture, then cut the taro into bigger size, and don’t stir the batter too much, just combine all ingredients, leaving some taro cubes in shape.

Other recipes for Chinese New Year:


Chinese New Year Turnip Cake

Chinese New Year Coconut Pudding