Taiwanese Turnip Cake (čæčē³) is one of the most traditional dish that almost every household will have on their table during Chinese New Year. Its roots can be traced back to traditional Chinese celebrations, particularly during the Lunar New Year, where it symbolizes prosperity and good fortune.
Itās a mixture of white radish and all kinds of fillings you like. I opted for mushrooms and taro because a lighter taste radish cake. My grandma has the recipe of adding dried onions and minced pork. Iām not just about preserving tradition; Iām about elevating it. Get ready to embark on a culinary adventure as we put our unique spin on Taiwanese Turnip Cake (čæčē³), blending authentic flavors with a modern flair.
Overview:
Total Time: 1h 30 mins
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1h
What youāll need:
Rectangular Cake Mold
Pastry Brush
Avocado Oil Spray
Corse Grater / Cheese Grater
Ingredients:Ā
White Radish (600g)
Taro (300g)
Dried Mushrooms (100g)
Rice Flour / Turnip Cake Flour (300g)
Corn Starch (30g)
Salt (1 tbsp)
Sugar (1 tsp)
Vegetable Oil (2 tbsp)
Oyster Sauce (1 tbsp)
Pepper (2 tsp)
Water (1000)
Dried Mushrooms:Ā You can opt to not add mushrooms if you donāt like them, but I definitely think that this recipe will taste the best with dried mushroom as it adds this traditional flavor to the cake. Make sure you have the dried mushrooms soaked in water 30 mins before you start making this recipe.
Taro: A lot of people doesnāt like taro or doesnāt even know what it taste like! Opt for a taro free recipe if you like. I personally love taro so I added a lot of them. It adds so much texture to it.
Oil, Salt, Pepper, Sugar: Those things really kind of depend on the amount of ingredients (radish, taro, mushrooms, etc) you have. Feel free to adjust the amount of those ingredients to fit your personal taste.
Instructions:
Soak mushrooms in warm water for 30 mins or until soft.
Shred your white radish into filament (doesnāt have to be too thin as it will melt when you cook).
Chop your taros and mushroom and any other ingredients you opt to add into small pieces / cubes.
You prepare your batter ahead of time by mixing the rice flour, cornstarch and 400ml water together in a large bowl.
Spray your mold with avocado oil to avoid stickiness. (avoid using olive oil as it gives a strong scent.)
In a large pan, drizzle vegetable oil into the pan with medium high heat.
Add chopped mushrooms into the pan and stir-fry till tender.
Add in chopped taro and stir-fry till golden.
Add radish into the pan, stir fry for a minute or until radish starts to become watery.
Add salt, pepper and oyster sauce into the pan and mix well.
Then add 300 - 500 ml of water into the pan and stir-fry till radish are very soft.
Then you pour in the batter mixture into the pan and stir everything together.
Youāll see that the mixture starts to become sticky.
Turn the heat to low heat and wait till it becomes more solid.
Immediately pour everything into the prepared mold.
Make sure there are no air bubbles.
Cover the rectangular cake mold with aluminum fold to avoid the top to becoming too dry.
In a deep baking pan, place your mold into the pan and fill the pan with hot water (1 inch).
Oven set to 350F and bake for 50 mins.
When the time is up, let the cake sit in the oven for 20-30 mins before taking it out.
Stick a chopstick into the cake to make sure they are fully cooked. Your chopstick should come out clean.
Ready to Bake:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Cover the rectangular cake mold with aluminum fold to avoid the top to becoming too dry.
In a deep baking pan, place your mold into the pan and fill the pan with hot water (1 inch).
Oven set to 350F and bake for 50 mins.
When the time is up, let the cake sit in the oven for 20-30 mins before taking it out.
Stick a chopstick into the cake to make sure they are fully cooked. Your chopstick should come out clean.
Let your cake sit in the mold for 20 mins until cool before you take it out of the mold.
Once you flip your cake out of the mold, you let it sit for another 20 mins before you cut them in slices.
Cut them in 1/2 inch slices.
Serving:
In a medium high heat pan, drizzle some oil and pan-fry pre-cutted turnip cake.
Pan-fry till both side is golden.
Serve with some soy sauce or hot pepper sauce.
Enjoy!
Pro Tips For Making A Perfect Turnip Cake:
Make sure to cover your mold with aluminium foil to avoid it become to dry on the top.
Make sure you add water in a deep pan as we are mimicking steaming method.
Donāt shred your radish too thin. You want to have your filaments thicker so your can still taste some texture.
Wait till your cake is colled down before taking it out or cutting them. There might be a chance that they will com apart or they will be very sticky when you try to cut them.
Your can use a wet knife with cool water to cut them, it will be so much easier.
Make sure your pan-fry it before eating them. I believe they are still edible without pan-frying them but it will taste so weird!
Some Possible FAQs:
How should I store my turnip cakes? : Turnip cake serve best right out of the oven but they can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. You need to wrap your cake with wet napkins as it will keep the cake moist and will taste better the next time you eat them. You can also freeze the pre-cutted cake but the molecules in to cake will crystalize while in the freezer and will make your cake watery after you defrost it. I mean this is another way to store your cake but just a heads up that the texture might taste different.
Can you use a rice cooker instead of an oven?Ā : Definitely! Any steam cooker you have will work the best! The most traditional way to cook a turnip cake is on a traditional steamer. My rice cooker is also too small for a rectangular cake mold, thatās why I opted for oven method.
I donāt have any cake mold, what can I do?Ā : You can use any shape mold you have in hand! You can even use a regular bowl, but make sure you use a rice cooker or a steamer if you use a regular bowl as regular bowl might be suitable for oven baking method.
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