Pan-fried taro cake with Chinese cured pork
Cantonese taro cake studded with cured pork and shiitake, steamed the night before and pan-fried until golden for a hot, hearty winter breakfast.
- 1 hr 20 min
- Serves 4
- Steam & pan-fry
- Medium
Why it suits you: Balanced types simply eat with the season. Start of Winter is the time to 'nourish for winter', and taro cake is a classic Cantonese cold-weather breakfast: taro strengthens the spleen and the cured pork adds savoury depth. Steam it the night before and you only need to fry a couple of slices in the morning.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 60 min- 1The night before, peel and dice the taro; dice the cured pork, shiitake and dried shrimp. Whisk the rice flour with the water into a smooth batter.
- 2Heat the oil in a wok, fry the shallots until fragrant, add the pork, shiitake and shrimp, then the taro, and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Season with the salt, sugar, five-spice and pepper.
- 3Turn the heat to low, pour in the batter and stir constantly until it thickens to a paste. Spread it into an oiled cake tin and smooth the top.
- 4Steam over high heat for 50–60 minutes, until a chopstick comes out clean. Cool, then refrigerate overnight.
- 5In the morning, cut thick slices and pan-fry in a little oil over low heat until golden on both sides. Eat hot.
Cautions
- Cured pork is salty and fatty — if you have high blood pressure or watch your cholesterol, stop at one or two slices.
Chef's tips
- Let the cake cool completely before slicing for clean edges; portion and freeze the rest for later breakfasts.
The TCM view
Taro is sweet, pungent and neutral, strengthening the spleen and stomach and resolving phlegm; rice flour is sweet and neutral and settles the stomach; cured pork is sweet, salty and neutral and whets the appetite; shiitake is sweet and neutral and supports qi. Balanced overall, and pan-fried in a little oil so it isn't heating — a gentle start to winter nourishment.
