Steamed pumpkin & coconut cake
Mashed pumpkin and coconut milk set with water chestnut starch into a golden two-layer cake — springy, gently sweet and lovely with a cup of hot tea.
- 1 hr
- Serves 4
- Steam
- Medium
Why it suits you: Qi Deficiency means tiring easily, feeling weak and having only a so-so appetite. In-season pumpkin is sweet and warming and builds qi; steamed into a cake with coconut milk, it's springy and easy to eat — a far more nourishing mid-afternoon bite than biscuits or chocolate.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 40 min- 1Steam the pumpkin slices over high heat for 15 minutes until soft, then mash while hot.
- 2Mix 100 g of the starch with 150 ml cold water. Dissolve the slab sugar in 200 ml water, add the pumpkin and bring to the boil, then take off the heat and slowly stir in the starch mix to make a thick batter.
- 3Grease a cake tin, pour in the pumpkin batter, smooth the top and steam over high heat for 20 minutes until set.
- 4Whisk the remaining starch with the coconut milk, caster sugar and 100 ml water, pour over the pumpkin layer and steam for 15 minutes more. Cool for 2 hours before slicing; pan-fry for a crisp edge if you like.
Cautions
- It's fairly high in sugar and coconut fat — if you have diabetes or are watching your weight, one or two pieces is plenty.
Chef's tips
- Wait until the cake is completely cold before slicing, and wet the knife for clean cuts. It keeps overnight in the fridge — re-steam or pan-fry to serve.
The TCM view
Pumpkin is sweet and warm, tonifying the middle, building qi and strengthening the spleen and stomach. Coconut milk is sweet and neutral and supports qi. Brown slab sugar is sweet and warm and eases the middle. Water chestnut starch is sweet and cold, but only a little is used to set the cake, balanced by the warmth of the pumpkin and sugar. Mild and warming, it builds qi without drying.
