Woo Tau Kow (Steam Yam Cake)

August 31, 2008

Ingredients

1 Yam

150g dried prawns

10 pcs Shiite mushroom

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 1/2 rice bowls rice flour

1/2 rice bowls sweet potato flour

6 rice bowls water

2 teaspoon five-spice powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
To make the wu tau koh, it is best to use shredded yam instead of cubed ones. Begins the process by removing the skin of the yam with a big, sharp-bladed vegetable peeler.

Then cut the yam in half. Slide the halves across a vegetable shredder in smooth, singular movements to produce neat, unbroken strands of yam. These strands of yam will “hold” the structure of the wu tau koh and give it texture.

Next, pound dried prawns.

Stir fry all that shredded yam, Shiite mushroom and dried prawns in a fair amount of oil and two tablespoon of minced garlic. Toss the ingredients in a big wok for 15 minutes or until the heavenly smell of a fragrant stir-fry has wafted around the entire kitchen.

Meanwhile, as the stir-frying is under way, mix three rice bowls of rice flour with six rice bowls of water. Flavour this mixture with two teaspoons of five-spice powder and 1½ teaspoon of salt.

Then pour the shredded yam, rice flour and water into a flat round metal tray measuring 45cm in diameter and 6cm deep. Use your splayed fingers to mix the shredded yam so that they do not clump.

Then put the baking tray in a big wok filled with water and steam for one hour over a large fire. A charcoal stove is preferable because it imparts a certain flavour to the wu tau koh.