Chinese Taro Root Cake (Woo Tul Gow)

Savory, steamed taro cake, richly flavored with mushrooms and pork. Taro is a flavorful, starchy tuber similar to a sweet potato. It has a sweet/nutty/potato flavor. The larger taro roots are sweeter but drier than the smaller roots. It's avilable in most supermarkets, but if you can't find it, use sweet potato or yam. This cake is a very popular New Year's treat. During the first ten days of the New Year's celebration a few slices of all the different New Year's cakes are fried every morning for breakfast or when friends or family stop by. The cake will keep nicely in the refrigerator for 10 days if wrapped in plastic wrap.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 15

Ingredients

• 1  cup  rice flour (NOT glutinous rice flour)
• 1  cup cornstarch
• 3⁄4 cup water
• 4  cups  taro root, washed, peeled and cubed (1 lb)
• 2  teaspoons  shoyu
• 1  teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 2  cups  roasted pork loin, chopped

• Garnish

• 4  dried Chinese mushrooms
• 1⁄4 cup  char siu pork, chopped
• 3  green onions, chopped
• 1⁄2 lb  chinese  olive, chopped (lam see)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, soak the mushrooms in 1/4 cup cold water until softened (30 minutes).
2. In another bowl, mix flour and starch in water.
3. Heat 9-inch round pan with a little oil.
4. Stir-fry taro with shoyu, oyster sauce, and salt for a few minutes.
5. Mix taro into flour mixture.
6. Add pork.
7. Pour into oiled pan.
8. Drain and squeeze mushrooms dry.
9. Cut off and discard stems and mince the caps.
10. Top cake with garnishes.
11. Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large enough to fit the pan without touching the sides of the steamer.
12. Carefully place the pan into the steamer, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and steam just until cake is set and firm to the touch (45-60 minutes).
13. Cool and cut into slices.