Steam Yam Cake ( Wu Tau Kou)

STEAMED YAM CAKE ( Wu tau kou)
Adapted from kitchentigress blogspot
With some adjustment
(Recipe for 20 pieces)

1)50 g dried prawns
    rinse and soak in 60 ml water till soft, about 15 minutes;
    squeeze dry, reserving the water; chop roughly
2) 40 g Chinese dried mushrooms
     rinse and soak in 180 ml water till soft, about 30 minutes; cut away the stem
     squeeze dry, reserving the water; slice thinly, then cut 1 cm long
3) Buy a yam about 500gm
     After peel and trim should be about 300 g; rinse; cut corn kernel-sized

100 g shallots
peel, rinse and slice thinly
80 ml vegetable oil
½ tsp salt
1 tsp five-spice powder
1½ tbsp light soya sauce
½ tsp ground white pepper

200 g rice flour
240 ml water ( water drained from dried prawns and mushrooms to make 240 ml)
600 ml boiling water and add in 2 cubes of knorr chicken cube

Garnish
2 tbsp spring onions, roughly chopped
2 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped
½ red chilli, julienned; or 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds


In a wok, stir-fry shallots in hot vegetable oil over medium heat till lightly golden. Turn off heat. Continue stirring till nicely golden brown. Remove shallots with a skimmer and set aside. You should have about ⅓ cup.

Reheat wok and oil till warm. Over medium heat, fry yam till just soft (but not brown), 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat. Remove yam to a big bowl. Immediately sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp five-spice powder. Toss till evenly mixed. Set aside.

Remove all but 2 tbsp oil from the wok. Reheat till very hot. Over medium-high heat, stir-fry dried prawns till lightly golden. Add mushrooms and stir-fry till fragrant and lightly golden. Add light soya sauce and ground white pepper. Stir till evenly mixed. Turn off heat. Add mixture to yam along with all of fried shallots ( reserve 2 tbsp of the fried shallots for topping) Stir till evenly mixed.

Lightly grease all sides of 20 x 20 x 5 cm cake pan

Top up water from soaking dried prawns and mushrooms to make 240 ml (1 cup). Pour liquid into wok and stir to deglaze. Add rice flour. Stir till smooth. Add boiling chicken or pork stock. Stir till evenly mixed. Turn on heat to low. Stir continuously, scraping sides and bottom of wok. Reduce heat to very low as batter gets hot. If lumps appear, turn off heat immediately, stir vigorously till smooth, then turn on heat again. When batter starts to thicken, add the mixed ingredients (except the 2 tbsp shallots set aside). Stir till batter is thick enough to coat a spoon/spatula thinly. Turn off heat.

Transfer batter into pan. Smooth and level batter. Steam over rapidly boiling water till inserted skewer comes out clean or almost clean, depending on consistency of batter before steaming. This should take about 40 minutes.

Remove kueh to a wire rack to cool down, an hour or so. Cut into your desire size using spatula. Serve garnished with spring onions, coriander, red chilli or sesame seeds, and remaining shallots.

Happy trying!!
Kelly's Kitchen