Japanese Daikon Cake (大根餅） – Chopstick Chronicles

Daikon cake is the Japanese model of chinese language radish cake or turnip cake known as “lo bak go”. It’s a conventional Chinese language dish standard in dim sum eating places and recognized for its smooth and squishy texture. With its scrumptious flavour and crispy but melt-in-your-mouth texture, daikon cake is a should attempt to works completely as an appetiser or aspect dish when making Asian delicacies at dwelling!

What’s Daikon Cake

Daikon cake or daikon mochi is a Japanese tackle Chinese language turnip cake. In Chinese language delicacies this savoury cake is commonly loved as a traditional dim sum dish or served as a predominant course throughout festive celebrations equivalent to chinese language new yr. In Japan, nonetheless, we eat it as a daily dish at dwelling or at Chinese language eating places. 

It’s made primarily from grated daikon radish and glutinous rice flour with an assortment of different substances. One of many traits of daikon mochi is its scrumptious mixture of flavors that pairs completely with dipping sauce like ponzu and soy sauce.

Substances to Make Daikon Cake

Listed here are the primary substances used to make this dish. 

1. Daikon Radish: Daikon radish, also referred to as white radish or Japanese radish, is the star ingredient of Daikon Mochi. It’s a root vegetable generally utilized in Japanese delicacies. It has a gentle and barely candy taste and a crisp texture. The daikon radish provides a refreshing taste to the mochi whereas offering a refined trace of spiciness. 

2. Rice Flour: Rice flour serves as the bottom for making mochi, which provides this dish its distinctive chewy texture. Comprised of finely floor rice grains, rice flour is gluten-free. 

3. Shiitake Mushrooms : utilizing shiitake mushroom in daikon mochi provides a burst of umami. Recognized for its distinctive earthy style and meaty texture, shiitake mushrooms are broadly utilized in Asian delicacies and have turn out to be an integral part of this conventional dish. In daikon cake recipes, shiitake mushrooms can be utilized both recent or dried. Recent ones supply a chewier texture whereas dried ones present a extra intense taste. The method of rehydrating dried shiitake mushrooms earlier than utilizing them within the recipe helps retain their distinctive style. The addition of shiitake mushrooms not solely enhances the general style but additionally enhances the opposite substances. 

4. Shrimps/Scallops/Chinese language sausage: These three substances not solely add taste but additionally improve each texture and visible enchantment when mixed with grated daikon radish within the cake.　

Shrimps: dried or recent shrimps are generally added to daikon truffles for his or her delicate style and tender texture. They supply a seafood factor that enhances the general taste profile of the dish. 

Scallops: dried or recent scallops are one other incredible ingredient that provides richness and depth to daikon truffles. Like shrimps, they bring about a scrumptious seafood essence to the dish however with a barely sweeter be aware. 

Chinese language Sausage: Chinese language sausage, also referred to as lap cheong or lạp xưởng in Cantonese and Vietnamese respectively, is a dried cured meat broadly utilized in varied Asian cuisines. Its distinctive smoky-sweet taste makes it a superb addition to daikon truffles because it gives an additional layer of complexity to every chunk. The sausage is normally diced or thinly sliced earlier than being blended into the batter previous to steaming.

5. Dashi (Japanese soup inventory): In sure turnip cake recipes, dashi can be utilized to prepare dinner or boil the daikon earlier than incorporating it into the mochi dough combination for added taste. 

7. Toppings (non-compulsory): So as to add visible enchantment and selection to your daikon mochi, you’ll be able to add toppings like scallions (inexperienced shallots), bonito flakes, or nori (seaweed). 

These substances come collectively to create a singular and scrumptious dish that’s loved by many in Japan. 

A lot of the substances can be found from the Japanese/Asian market or on-line equivalent to Amazon.

Directions

Right here is the right way to make turnip cake. 

1: Put together the Daikon Radish : Rinse it completely underneath chilly working water to take away any dust. Pat dry with a clear kitchen towel. Peel the pores and skin off the daikon radish utilizing a vegetable peeler or knife.  Grate the daikon utilizing a grater, grate the peeled daikon radish into advantageous shreds. You may additionally use a meals processor for comfort.  

2: To include dried shiitake mushrooms into your daikon cake preparation, start by soaking the dried mushrooms in 1 and 1/2 cup of heat water till they turn out to be pliable. As soon as rehydrated, squeeze extra water and take away the stems (which will be fibrous) and thinly slice or chop the caps in response to your choice. Don’t discard the soaking water (this will likely be used as dashi later). 

3: warmth 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil (or vegetable oil) in a pan over medium warmth. Add chopped shiitake mushroom and dried shrimp to prepare dinner. Add shredded daikon and the shiitake soaking water (the dashi) to the pan and prepare dinner them for a a number of minutes. When the daikon is cooked, drain the cooking liquid to separate from the strong substances. Hold each liquid and strong substances separated. 

4: Combine glutinous rice flour, potato starch, and salt in a mixing bowl to mix all collectively. Step by step add 3/4 cup of water whereas stirring repeatedly till you obtain a smooth dough-like consistency. 

5 : Add the daikon, mushroom, and shrimp to the dough combination in small batches whereas kneading gently however completely till effectively mixed. Pour dashi inventory (the shiitake water) 1 and 1/4 cup regularly into the blending bowl whereas stirring repeatedly. 

6 : Wrap the blending bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for two minutes. Take the bowl out and stir with a wood spatula. Place the plastic wrap loosely once more and microwave for an extra 1 minute. Take away the bowl from the microwave and stir until it’s a mochi like consistency. 

7: Line a mould/cake pan/loaf pan with parchment paper. Fill the mould with the combination made in step 6. Steam it in a steamer for about 30-40 minutes over medium-low warmth till cooked via. 

8: When it has cooled down, lower and slice it about 1cm thick. Warmth 1 tbsp sesame oil in a frying pan over medium warmth to pan fry the radish cake.

Tricks to Make Daikon Cake

You don’t want to assemble all of the substances listed above. I didn’t have scallops or Chinese language sausage. I solely used shrimps. Or you’ll be able to omit the meat substances altogether. It’s also possible to substitute substances. For instance, you’ll be able to change chinese language sausage with char siu or bacon; and katakuriko potato starch will be changed with corn starch.  

Daikon Cake Dipping Sauces

Dipping sauces add scrumptious taste to the already scrumptious turnip cake. Listed here are some sauce choices: 

Oyster sauce: It is a savory condiment created from oysters, soy sauce, sugar, and different seasonings. It has a wealthy umami taste that enhances the style of the daikon cake. The sweetness from the sugar balances out the saltiness of the soy sauce.

Candy Soy Sauce: In case you get pleasure from contrasting flavors, strive pairing your turnip truffles with candy soy sauce. This pleasant mixture balances the pure sweetness of the daikon cake with a savory umami style supplied by soy sauce.

Ponzu: to make this dish extra Japanese impressed, pair the daikon mochi with ponzu. It is a Japanese citrus sauce made with vinegar so it has a recent and slighty acidic and candy style. You should buy this prepared created from Japanese retailers or make your personal do-it-yourself ponzu.

Storage strategies

You may retailer daikon cake in each the fridge and freezer. 

Fridge : to refrigerate pan fried turnip cake, anticipate it to chill after cooking. Then wrap every bit in plastic wrap individually and retailer within the fridge. It is going to hold for a pair days within the fridge.

Freezer : Identical as refrigerating, wrap them in cling wrap individually after pan frying and fully cooled down. Put them in a ziplock freezer bag and hold within the freezer. It is going to hold a couple of month however eat them as quickly as you’ll be able to. 

In an effort to recreate the crispy outdoors and mochi mochi chewy texture inside, microwave them to thaw after which pan fry them in a frying pan over medium warmth.