Easy Water Chestnut Cake (Chinese New Year)

Wash and pat dry water chestnuts. Peel water chestnuts.

Soak in cold drinking water for a few minutes.

Rough dice a few water chestnuts. Slice a few water chestnuts to create varying textures and mouthfeel.

Pro Tip: If you are feeling fancy, use a mini star cookie cutter to make it super cute to impress your little ones.

Combine water chestnut flour with water. Mix well.

The water chestnut flour is gritty, not powdery.

Strain through a sieve to remove any lumps. Push the clumps through the sieve with the back of a spoon or your fingers.

Repeat the process a few times to ensure the water chestnut mixture is thoroughly dissolved and as smooth as possible. Remove any larger granules that will not dissolve. Set aside.

Add 750ml of cold drinking water, rock sugar, and brown sugar slabs to a medium pot over medium heat. Cook until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.

The purpose of a raw/cooked mixture is to help suspend the water chestnuts throughout the cake instead of settling to the bottom.

Add 1/3 water chestnut mixture into the dissolved sugar mixture. Mix well. Stirring frequently for 1 minute.

Add the above sugar and water chestnut mixture to the remaining 2/3 water chestnut mixture. Mix well.

Stirring frequently. Let the residual heat cook and combine the mixture.

Add in sliced and diced water chestnut bits.

Reheat on the stove over medium heat until it turns into a white paste.

We do not want the paste to be cooked entirely. The batter should still be liquid but thick enough so the water chestnuts suspend.

Transfer the batter to a prepared pan. Smooth the surface evenly.

In a separate Wok boil enough water on high heat.

Method One: The traditional way, Chinese people steam this water chestnut cake by placing a trivet rack in the wok to raise the steaming tray and bring water to a boil on high heat for 25 mins.

Method Two: Alternatively, for convenience, I prefer to steam in my FOTILE Convection Steam Oven for 25 minutes at Super Steam 400F.

Once the water chestnut cake is thoroughly cooked, the pudding changes color from a white batter to a translucent golden hue. The cake should be jiggly and firm to the touch.

Let rest at room temperature.

Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. Overnight if possible.

Unmold the cake from the pan.

Cut to thick slices.

Enjoy chilled or pan-fried with vegetable cooking oil until a golden crust develops.