Taro cake aka wu tao goh


This is my 4th taro cake since October and with a cup of coffee , there's something comforting about eating it while it's cold and windy outside .

When you think of taro cake , one would say sweet cake/goodies but in this side of the world , they love it savoury  and pan-fried , for that matter .

Just like loh bak goh / turnip cake , it's made the same way , with rice flour , dried mushroom , dried shrimp , Chinese sausage , steamed then pan-fried .

And just like turnip cake , it's also commonly served during yum cha as part of your dim sum choices

This cake is one of the must-have snacks during Chinese New Year . During this festival , when somebody visits you at home , you should serve this or turnip cake or some other CNY goodies to the visitor(s) or else  you wouldn't receive any lai see ! lol

So for those who haven't tried this delicious savory bites , when you go to your neighborhood Chinese restaurant next time , do order this .

In this side of the world , they don't garnish taro cake with fried shallots . Alvin recommended adding some , so why not ?! I even added some to my taro mixture .  Thanks , Alvin ! 

Do check out one of my taro cake ( I still got one more but I haven't re-posted the photos yet :P )

550 grams ( peeled weight ) taro , cut into small cubes
2 pieces ( 100 grams ) Chinese sausage , cute into small dice
3 dried mushroom , soaked then dice
30 grams dried shrimp , soaked
3 tablespoons fried shallots plus some for garnish
175 grams rice flour
50 grams tapioca starch
3 cups water

Seasoning : 1/4 tsp salt , 1 tsp brown sugar , 1/2 tsp chicken powder , 1/2 tsp five spice powder , generous dash of ground white pepper

some chopped spring onion for garnish

* Grease an 8-inch round pan , set aside .
* In a medium mixing bowl , combine the rice flour and tapioca starch ; add in 1 cup of the water gradually to the rice flour mixture until well blended , set aside .
* Heat wok or a large pan , add about half teaspoon of oil , then add the diced sausage , stir fry until it releases some of its oil . Add in the shrimp , mushroom and the fried shallots , fry until fragrant . Add in the cubed taro , stir well to combine . Pour in the remaining 2 cups of water and add in the seasoning , let the taro mixture boil and adjust taste ; turn off heat and add the rice and water paste , stir with a wooden spoon or a spatula until well incorporated .
* Pour into the prepared pan and steam for 45 minutes over medium-high heat . Let cool completely before removing from the pan .
* Cut and pan-fry then serve hot with chili sauce . Don't forget to give some to your visitors to get your lai see !

I'm submitting this post to the blog hop event Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Comments

  1. Hi Anne, ding dong... ding dong... I'm here to visit you. Happy new year to you and family. Gong Xi Fa Cai.

    Wah.. my favorite taro cake. Yours look awesome. I bring earl grey tea, we have tea break together. :)

    Have a nice day ahead,regards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amelia , come on over ASAP ! Don't forget to bring lai see , okay ?! lol

      Delete
    2. exchange gift (lai see) tea party? :)

      Delete
  2. Anne,
    Wow! ! I love Wu Tao Goh.
    Yours looks so inviting!
    Can I bring Pu Er chinese tea and lai see over to enjoy your Wu Tao Goh ?..:D
    Gong Hei Fatt Choy !!!
    mui

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doreen , for that Pu Er and lai see , I'll make you a whole taro cake to bring back home ! lol

      Delete
  3. I experimented with your last recipe using fresh mushrooms and other vegetables in place of dried shrimps and sausages and baked in oven as we do for a lentil cake. That was a mistake, The cake did not even look closer to your picture. If you have a vegetarian version send me.
    The garnish of fried onions and green onions look nice.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Anne,

    Coming from Singapore, I like to eat my taro cake with fried shallots and spring onions with lots of chili and sweet dark sauce... Alvin is right! Taro cake is better with fried shallots... LOL!

    Zoe

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy Lunar New Year! This looks delish! Even better than the restaurants'

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy Chinese New Year!!! It has been a while since I have taro cake. It is usually harder to see and find. I really hope to find some good taro and make this soon. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ann, I just love to come here and savour all these delicious Chinese dim sum items... so yummy. Now I really want to try my hand at making them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like eating this when I was younger.. nowadays hard to find good ones to buy.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Anne! I had something similar this CNY... but instead of yam, pumpkin was the main ingredient.... I like both!

    ReplyDelete
  10. YUM! This is what I miss the most, Wu Tao Goh! Yours making drool ! With all these tempting pictures making me wanna make it right away! LOL Promise I'll try your recipe & let you know. I still don't have the courage to try the Japanese cheesecake! Need some moral support! LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kit , Japanese cheesecake ? Seriously ?! I need a macaron tutorial in exchange lol

      Delete
  11. This looks so good, Anne! I should really try making taro cake!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is one of my favorite too and my son's...but not easy to get nice yam here...yours looks absolutely scrumptious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeannie , lucky for us here ! Almost year-round we have loads of fresh taro here :D

      Delete
  13. oh, i just had taro cake in a restaurant yesterday. Their taro cake is a little unusual from the ones that we usually have, they pan fried it with eggs and also some big prawns and also chives:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lena , with eggs ? I thought only nian gao is fried with it :D I'm sure that taro cake was still delicious ;D

      Delete
  14. OOo, that looks really good. We eat taro plain or in curry, but never in anything as interesting as this. I bet its delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joyti , Ohhhh ! I must try it in curry sometime !

      Delete
  15. yum! i was reading the other day how good for you taro is...the purple color is a good sign for nutrients! and looks delicious too!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Looks so delicious! Taro cakes are my family's favourites! Have not made this for ages. We would have no trouble finishing up the whole tray!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I usually like turnip cakes over taro cakes better. But this year, one of my friends gave me some taro cake for CNY and I'm in love. I guess my taste buds really grow/change as I grow. :P Yours looks so delicious and I cant' wait to make a batch of my own!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love Taro but I don't think I've tried taro cake yet!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love taro cake! Mum just made some recently so I don't have make it myself! Happy Chinese New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I miss taro cake, Anne. They taste great pan fried with some oil. Wonderful fur tea.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh my goodness, I love taro!! What a great idea, I need to make this!

    ReplyDelete
  22. This looks absolutely deliciousssss! I haven't had taro cake since I was last in hong kong and I am desperate for it.
    Taro is so hard to find in England!

    Hope you are well love,make care :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
  23. love this very much, especially enjoy with some chili dipping sauce, yummy!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts