Homemade Crystal Yam Cake - 水晶芋头糕

I have seen many friends in my facebook list making either Radish Cake (萝卜糕) or Yam Cake (芋头糕) before and during Chinese Lunar New Year period. And usually these are the auspicious steamed cakes to be served to the visiting guests as compared those western cakes.  This year, my mum made a new version of Yam Cake using different types of flour combination which is different from what she always did.

From the photo above, you realize that the colour of this yam cake is slightly more translucent and Springy (QQ) texture which is similar to Agar Agar (a kind of Asian jelly).

HOMEMADE CRYSTAL YAM CAKE
水晶芋头糕

After the yam cake is ready, you can either eat it on it's own or cut it into slices and pan-fried till slightly golden brown in colour and top it with your desire garnishing.  I love to have mine with some chopped spring onion, fried shallot and lot of sweet dark soy sauce as breakfast.

Wheat Starch (澄麵粉)

(Make: 9" Square/Round tin | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 45 minutes)

Ingredients:
350g Yam (taro or 芋头) , peeled and diced
30g Dried Shrimp, soaked till soften
3 - 5 Fresh Shiitake Mushroom, sliced
2 Shallots, chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
3 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
100ml water

Batter
350g Wheat Starch / Deng Mien Fun (澄麵粉)
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1200ml Water

Seasoning
1 Teaspoon White Pepper
1 Teaspoon Five Spice Powder
1 Chicken Stock Cube
1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil

Garnishing
Some Chopped Spring Onion
Some Chopped Coriander
Some Fried Shallot Flakes
Some Red Chilli, sliced
Some Fried Dried Shrimp, optional

Method:-
1. Combined batter ingredients, mix well and set aside.

2. Heat up oil in a preheated pan, saute dried shrimps (lightly pound) over medium heat until fragrant. Add shallot and garlic, stir-fry until aromatic.

3. Next stir in yam and seasoning, toss well and simmer over medium heat with 100ml of water for 3 minutes till liquid is adsorbed.

4. Add batter mixture, mix well and stir over low heat until mixture almost thicken, remove from heat.

5. Transfer the mixture into a greased 9" square or round tin, level the surface and steam over high heat for 45 minutes or until cooked.

6. When done, removed from steamer, leave to cool.

7. Top with garnishing and served with chili sauce or sweet dark soya sauce.

Tip:
~ You can replace 350g Wheat Starch with 200g rice flour + 150g wheat starch for a softer texture.

~Instead of cutting the yam into cubes, you could shredded half and diced half.

There is another Chinese version recipe using more yam, less water and rice flour as part of the ingredients as compared to the above. If you are interested, you could take a look at the recipe here.