Radish Cake
Radish cake is one of my grandma’s signature dishes. Every Chinese New Year, she makes it as a gift for relatives and friends, and people even ask her to sell it because it is so good. She used to ask me to learn how to make it, but I was always too lazy to try.
After moving to Seattle, I started craving her radish cake, so I finally asked her to teach me. It took me two tries to get it right, and when I shared it with her, she was so happy. I am writing down this secret recipe so that whenever I make it, I can feel like I am home again. It is fun to learn something new while staying connected with my grandma, and more importantly, I could feel how proud she was that I could make it and that someone would truly carry on her signature dish.
Ingredients
Procedure
• Prepare the Radish Mixture
- Peel and shred the daikon radishes.
- In a large pot, add shredded radish, 7 cups of water, and 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes until the radish is soft.
• Make the Batter
- In a separate bowl, add 600 g rice flour.
- Pour in 5 cups of cold water.
- Mix thoroughly until there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth.
• Combine & Thicken
- Slowly pour the cooked radish and its liquid into the rice flour mixture while stirring continuously.
- Stir around 80 times (or until the mixture becomes thick and smooth).
This part is really important!! If you don’t make it thick and solid at this stage, it will be hard to cook through and even harder to pan-fry later. (I learned this the hard way when my radish cake turned into a radish omelette instead.)
• Steam the Radish Cake
- Prepare your steamer: add 2 cups of water and heat until steam forms.
- Transfer the thick radish batter into a heat-proof container that fits your steamer.
- Place the container into the steamer and steam until the rice cooker switches off or for about 40 minutes.
- Add another 2 cups of water and steam again for better firmness, allowing it to fully cook through.
Tips
- Make sure to stir the batter thoroughly until it becomes thick before steaming.
- Smooth out the surface of the batter in the container before steaming so the top will look clean and beautiful when done.
- You can pan-fry the slices until golden before serving for extra flavor and texture.
- Optional add-ins (stir in before steaming): sautéed dried shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and scallions for a savory Cantonese-style radish cake.
Failure
The first time I made it, I didn’t stir the batter enough, and it didn’t set properly. Even when I tried to bake it longer, it was still hard to cook through. What was worse, it was almost impossible to cut and pan-fry, so it ended up looking like a messy radish omelette. Lesson learned—make sure to stir until it is thick and solid before steaming.
Most importantly, enjoy the process and trust the process. Each attempt is part of the story, and it makes it even more special when you finally get it right.
