Daikon Radish Cake

Serves6 (main course)

* Active time:35 min
* Start to finish:11 1/2 hr (includes chilling)

May 2007
Once a favorite breakfast of the Chinese, this dish might more accurately be called a daikon scramble. But the Chinese words for carrot and daikon are almost the same, and “cake” refers to the way the rice flour binds the ingredients.

* 1 lb daikon (also called Chinese radish or luo bo)
* 7 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon white pepper
* 2 cups finely ground rice flour (not sweet; an Asian brand such as Erawan)
* 2 cups water
* 6 large eggs
* 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
* 1/4 cup ketjap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) or thick soy sauce
* 1 1/2 teaspoons sambal oelek or Sriracha (Southeast Asian chile sauce) plus additional for serving
* 3 scallions, chopped (1/4 cup)
* 1/2 cup loosely packed sprigs fresh cilantro

*
Special equipment:
a well-seasoned 14-inch flat-bottomed wok with lid

Make and steam cake:

*
Oil bottom and side of 9-inch round cake pan.
*
Peel daikon, then shred in a food processor fitted with medium shredding disk. Reserve any liquid.
*
Heat wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates instantly. Pour 3 tablespoons oil down side of wok, then tilt wok to swirl, coating side. When oil begins to smoke, add daikon with any liquid, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir-fry 3 minutes. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring and breaking up daikon occasionally, until daikon is very tender, about 15 minutes.
*
Whisk together rice flour and water in a large bowl until smooth, then stir in daikon (mixture will be lumpy) and pour into cake pan.
*
Set a steamer rack inside cleaned wok and fill wok with water (not above steamer rack), then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to moderate and steam cake in pan on rack, covered, 1 hour (replenish water as necessary). Wearing oven mitts, transfer pan to a cooling rack and cool about 1 1/2 hours. Wrap pan tightly with plastic wrap and chill at least 8 hours.

Make stir-fry:

*
Run a knife along edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a cutting board, rapping on bottom of pan until cake is released. Blot with paper towels. Cut cake into 1/2-inch cubes.
*
Beat together eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl.
*
Heat dried wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates instantly. Pour remaining 4 tablespoons oil down side of wok, then tilt wok to swirl, coating side. When oil begins to smoke, add cake cubes, garlic, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir-fry, letting cake rest on bottom and sides of wok about 10 seconds between stirs, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. (Cubes will soften and may stick to wok. Scrape brown bits from bottom of wok and continue stir-frying.) Add eggs to wok and stir-fry until eggs are just set, about 1 minute. Stir in ketjap manis, sambal oelek, and scallions, then transfer to a serving dish and scatter cilantro on top. Serve with additional sambal oelek.

Cooks’ note: Steamed cake can be chilled up to 1 week.

Recipe by Lillian Chou

Photograph by Romulo Yanes