Chinese Steamed Pumpkin Cake 金瓜糕
If there is just one traditional Chinese snack you want to pass down to your family, it has to be this scrumptious Chinese Steamed Pumpkin cake (金瓜糕). This is a typical and popular Chinese savoury snack enjoyed by many people who like traditional and steamed cakes.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 1 serving
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 500 g pumpkin (shredded)
- 200 g meat (diced, seasoned with salt and pepper)
- 100 g dried shrimp (blended coarsely)
- 4 shiitake mushrooms (blended coarsely)
- 150 g preserved turnip (tai tau choy, blended coarsely)
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp shallot (minced)
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500 g rice flour (sifted)
- 75 g Tapioca flour (sifted)
- 1000 ml water (4 bowls)
- 1/2 tsp alkaline water
- 1 tbsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp chicken stock granules
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 10 shallots (or more, peeled, sliced and deep fried)
- 1 red chilli (sliced)
- 1 bunch spring onions (chopped)
Instructions
- 1
First, skin and coarsely grate the pumpkin.
- 2
Dice some meat and season with salt and pepper.
- 3
Soak dried shiitake mushrooms till soften. Drain and chop or blend coarsely using a blender.
- 4
Soak dried shrimps till soften and blend or roughly chop.
- 5
Also, soak the preserved turnip (tai tau choy) to remove excess salt. Rinse and mince finely.
- 6
Then prepare the ingredients to make the batter.
- 7
In a mixing bowl, add in rice flour and tapioca flour. Add in water slowly while stirring at the same time. Stir till a watery batter is formed.
- 8
Then add in alkaline water and stir to mix well.
- 9
Mix in salt, chicken stock granules and ground white pepper into the flour mixtures. Stir to mix well. And we're ready to make the pumpkin cake.
- 10
First, fry some sliced shallots till crispy. Set aside to use for garnish later.
- 11
Using the same wok, heat up some shallot infused oil in wok and saute chopped garlic and minced shallot till golden brown. Add in chopped dried shrimps and fry till fragrant.
- 12
Then add in the diced meat and fry till all the meat is cooked.
- 13
Add chopped preserved turnips and diced shiitake mushrooms. Fry to mix well.
- 14
Next, add in the grated pumpkin and continue to stir fry to mix it well with the rest of the ingredients.
- 15
Using a strainer, pour the watery flour batter over the mixed pumpkin mixture.
- 16
Over medium heat, continue to cook and stir until the mixture thickens.
- 17
Transfer the cooked mixture into a lightly greased steaming tray. Even out the top of mixture with a spatula.
- 18
Steam it over high heat in a steamer for 40 minutes until the pumpkin cake is totally cooked through.
- 19
Remove the tray from steamer and immediately garnish with fried shallot crisps, chopped spring onions and red chillies. Leave to cool completely before cutting the cake.
- 20
Serve with sweet chilli sauce and ENJOY!