Steamed Yam Cake

Ingredients
(makes 3 portions)
600g yam cube (1cm) best to use Pahang yam
50g washed and chopped dried prawns
300g rice flour
500ml water
15g salt
13g sugar
3g 5 spice
1g pepper
800ml water
4 tbsp fragrant oil for frying prawns
100g washed, soak and chopped mushroom

Garnishings
sliced spring onions
sliced red chilles
crispy fried sliced shallots
toasted white sesame etc.

Directions

• in a bowl, mix rice flour with 500g water and put aside
• in a saucepan, mix oil and dried prawns
• turn on the heat at high and fry till prawn is crispy and fragrant
• add yam followed by other ingredients such as salt, sugar, spice, pepper and 800g of water and cook till yam is soft
• to add mushroom, sautee the mushroom first; put aside and add it later with other ingredients after dried prawns
• add rice flour mixture and keep stirring until it thickens and form a paste (wooden spoon can stand)
• transfer paste into a greased tray or metal cups
• smooth the top of the cake using a spatula
• brush fragrant oil generously on yam paste
• steam for 1 hour till set (make sure steamer is covered with kitchen towel to prevent water from dripping into yam cake
• add garnishings before servings

Steamed Carrot Cake (Lo Bak Go)

600g shredded turnip (white carrot)

remove 5 spice

reduce water in 2nd part to 700ml

Steamed Pumpkin Cake

600g cubed pumpkin (1cm)

remove 5 spice

reduce water in 2nd part to 700ml

• only use pumpkin raw ie. cook the rest of the ingredients first and once cooked, add in the pumpkin, stir and proceed to steaming

Foodnote: I love this yam cake. Love the savoury taste and the fragrant oil added to the cake. This can also be steamed in a cake tin and fried the next day. I love it just like it is with lots of yummy garnishings. One of the chef in the school make homemade Lao Gan Mo to eat with the yam cake. It is very yummy nom nom nom

Fragrant Oil

Ingredients
garlic
shallots
ginger
(can try other fragrant ingredients like cekur, lemongrass, chilli, coriander roots etc.)
vegetable oil (double portion of ingredients eg. a cup of chopped garlic+chopped ginger+sliced shallots = 2 cups of oil)

Directions

• in a wok or sauce pan, mix garlic+ginger+shallots with room temperature oil
• start fire at high heat and cook till oil is hot and bubbly
• lower the temperature and cook till garlic+ginger+shallots are light golden brown
• sieve crispy garlic+ginger+shallots and collect oil in stainless steel bowl
• once all the oil have dripped into the bowl, put the bowl of oil over a bigger bowl with room temperature water to stop the oil from oxidation
• crispy garlic+ginger+shallots can be used as garnishes over noodles, dumplings, siew mai etc.
• transfer oil in glass bottle and it will be good to use for up to 3 days
• use the oil for any cooking and it will bring the cooking to the next level woohoo... 

Foodnote: A master oil recipe for take your cooking to the next level. One of the best tip/takeaway from my baking/cooking class. This oil can be added to any dish recipe and the crispy bits can also act as garnishes. It is really easy to make so I will try to add this to as much of my cooking.