Double Delight Lunar New Year Cakes: Cantonese Turnip Cake & Five-Spice Taro Cake

Soak 20g dried shiitake mushrooms, 4 dried scallops, and 40g dried shrimp in water overnight (approx. 8 hours) until soft. Drain and reserve soaking liquid for later use.

Peel 400g white radish. Cut half (200g) into thick strips and the remaining half (200g) into thin shredded strips. Place all cut radish strips into an aluminum tray.

Trim and peel 400g taro. Cut half (200g) into thick long strips, and the remaining half (200g) into thin strips. Place all taro strips into a second aluminum tray.

Place 1 Chinese sausage on top of the radish tray and 1 on the taro tray (2 sausages total). Place trays into a steamer or steam oven and steam over high steam (100°C) for 20 minutes until the radish becomes translucent and soft, and the sausages soften.

Remove stems from soaked shiitake mushrooms, dice into small pieces and squeeze out excess moisture. Crush soaked scallops with knife side and shred into threads; reserve half for topping. Finely chop soaked shrimp. Once steamed sausages cool slightly, cut lengthwise and dice into small cubes.

Set up two separate mixing bowls (one for Turnip Cake, one for Taro Cake). In each bowl, combine 130g rice flour (260g total), 35g wheat starch (70g total), 5g salt (10g total), and 3g sugar (6g total). Whisk dry ingredients thoroughly in both bowls.

Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add diced sausages, mushroom dice, chopped dried shrimp, and half of the shredded scallops. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until aromatic and grease renders from sausages. Remove from pan and divide into two equal portions.

Pour out liquid released from steamed radish. Combine with reserved soaking water, 150ml chicken broth, and 250ml water to reach exactly 400g total liquid weight. Pour into the first flour bowl and whisk until smooth.

Combine remaining soaking liquid, 150ml chicken broth, and 370ml water to make 520g total liquid weight. Pour half (260g) into the second flour bowl and mix into a slurry; reserve the other half (260g) for cooking taro.

In a deep Dutch oven, combine pre-steamed radish strips, half of the fried aromatics, 1/4 tsp white pepper powder, and 1/2 tsp sesame oil over very low heat. Pour in radish cake batter. Stir constantly from bottom with a silicone spatula for 2-3 minutes over low heat until batter thickens slightly into a viscous semi-fluid paste. Turn off heat immediately.

In a pot, dry-toast 1 tsp five-spice powder over low heat until fragrant. Add thin taro strips and reserved 260g liquid, cook for 3 minutes until softened, then mash partially with a spatula. Stir in thick taro strips, remaining fried aromatics, 1/4 tsp white pepper, and 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Pour in taro flour slurry and stir constantly on low heat for 2 minutes until it thickens into a semi-fluid paste. Turn off heat immediately.

Grease 2 aluminum trays with 1/2 tsp cooking oil. Transfer radish cake paste and taro cake paste into separate trays, smoothing tops flat with a spatula. Sprinkle reserved shredded scallops evenly over the top of both cakes, then wrap tray tops tightly with heat-resistant plastic wrap.

Place wrapped turnip cake and taro cake trays into the steamer or steam oven. Steam over medium steam (100°C) for 60 minutes until completely cooked and set.

Remove steamed cakes and let cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours) until the cakes become firm and set before slicing.

Unmold chilled turnip cake and taro cake onto a cutting board. Peel away foil and plastic wrap, then cut into slices about 1.5cm thick.

Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Place sliced turnip cake and taro cake in pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes until bottom turns golden brown, flip and fry for another 3 minutes until both sides are golden and crispy. Plate and serve hot.