Savory Taro Cake
Hey! It’s been a while since I’ve pop up here. I took some time away from this blog to explore building a newsletter, generally getting myself organized with cookbook #2 coming out later this year, working on proposals for cookbook #3 , and still trying to live life like a normal human. The last few months I felt quite scattered brained to say the least. I struggled with finding a direction or distinction between what I should share here, in my books, and in my newsletter because ultimately I have a lot of different culinary interests and want to share all of them with you without being annoying and or trying to cram a whole recipe into an Instagram caption.
I don’t everything quite figured out yet, but I do know that I want to be back here! For now, I’ve renamed my newsletter as Have You Eaten Yet? which is focus on more homestyle meals. Food I would make for family and friends, or you! if you came over for to our house! I’ll also share weekly updates about my cookbook, events, fun market finds, garden progress, and a round of recipes like this just in case you missed it. Like a weekly check in to see how we are all doing. Then on this page I’ll share recipes that fall within the other disciplines I love so much, like baking and pastry, new dumpling recipes, handmade noodles, and more of my favorite foods. What connects all the recipes together is hopefully a sense of joy when you see, eat, or read about them!
A few weeks ago I decided to buy a huge taro and need to use it up. I made the Taro Leaf Buns from my cookbook and some homemade Terra Chips, but then I had just enough to make a savory taro cake. I adapted the recipe from the Turnip Cake Recipe in Mooncakes and Milk Bread and it turned out perfectly! So, I’m reviving this page with dim sum, which feels appropriate. My grandma also makes a version of this taro cake for Lunar New Year and other Chinese holidays too because it brings good luck! Taro Cake (Wu Tau Gao) is a lot like Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Gao), both savory, but taro cake is starchier and denser, almost like a big tater tot or fancy hash brown. I share a love of this taro cake with my mom. We scan the dim sum menu and carts for it. It has a creamy interior with flecks of salty dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, and green onions. Then the exterior is crisped up in a pan until crunchy and golden brown, a lovely textural contrast. You can keep the cake in the fridge for a few days and cut off a chunk or two to sear whenever you’re craving it.
Savory Taro Cake
makes one 8-inch cake
2 tbsp (24g) dried shrimp
2 tbsp olive oil, more for brushing
2 chinese sausages, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1lb taro, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper
3 to 4 cups water
3/4 cup (125g) rice flour
1/4 cup (35g) cornstarch
Hoisin, for serving
Hydrate the shrimp: Place the dried shrimp in a small heat proof bowl. Pour hot water over the shrimp until it is submerged and allow the shrimp to soak and hydrate for 15 minutes. Drain the water and mince.
Stir-fry the aromatics: Heat oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add the dried shrimp, sausage, and green onions. Stir-fry until the fat of the chinese sausage starts to render, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the taro and stir to combine. Add the oyster sauce, salt, sugar, and white pepper and toss to combine. Stir fry the taro until it just starts to brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
Cook the taro: Add 3 cups of water, enough so that the taro is just covered, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the taro until softened but not completely mushy, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Mix the taro cake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk to combine rice flour and cornstarch. Add this to the taro while it’s still hot and stir to combine. If the mixture is on the dry side, slowly add a little more water (up to 1 cup, varies depending on how much water was cooked off) until the mixture is more like a creamy texture.
Steam the cake: Brush a 8” to 9” cake pan with oil. Transfer the taro cake batter to the pan and spread into an even layer. Prepare your steamer set up and steam the cake until a toothpick comes out clean when you stick it in the center, 45 to 60 minutes. Allow the cake to cool until warm in the cake pan. Slide a butter knife around the edge of the cake, place a cutting board on top, and flip the cake over onto the board. Tap the pan if needed to help get the cake out. At this point you can store the cake in the fridge (up to 5 days) and crispy up pieces of it whenever you want.
Cut and crisp up the taro cake: Cut the cake into big cubes. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the cake into the pan and sear until the bottom is crispy and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Sear all the sides until golden. Transfer to a platter and serve with a drizzle of hoisin and green onions.
