Description
A popular Vietnamese street food and dim sum restaurant item, these little savory rice cakes are pan-fried to crispy perfection and served with a sweet and savory soy dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Fillings
- 20 grams dried shrimp
- 1 Chinese sausage
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (see notes below)
- 300 grams grated daikon (squeeze out excess water)
Batter
- 100 grams rice flour
- 10 grams tapioca starch (see notes below)
- 300 ml water (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated cane sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon MSG (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Dipping Sauces Options
Garnishes and Pickles (Optional)
- Thinly sliced green onions
- Pickled daikon and carrot
Instructions
- Prepare the dried ingredients: Soak the dried shrimp in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse. Chop the dried shrimp and Chinese sausage into small pieces. Add oil (1 tablespoon) to the skillet and heat on medium-high. Add dried shrimp and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add Chinese sausage and sauté for one minute or until you get nice caramelization on the edges of the shrimp and sausage. Transfer the mixture into another bowl and set aside.
- Make the batter: Mix together the batter ingredient in a medium bowl until you get a paste-like consistency. Set aside.
- Pan fry: Combine the batter, daikon, and dried shrimp/Chinese sausage mixture back into the skillet. Pan fry for about 5 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste.
- Steam: Transfer mixture to an oiled pan. I’m using a 10″x5″ loaf pan. Place the pan into a steamer with plenty of water and steam over a medium simmer for 45 minutes.
- Slice: Carefully remove the pan from the steamer and let your rice cake set for about 30 minutes. Once cooled, loosen the sides with a knife and turn it upside down onto a cutting board and slice ½-inch thick square or rectangular pieces.
- Serve: To enjoy, pan-fry the radish cakes by adding a couple tablespoons oil to skillet over medium heat. Fry the cakes on both sides until golden and crispy. If serving with eggs, heat a bit of oil on the other side of the skillet and crack your desired amount of eggs into the oil. Pan fry eggs however you choose. I simply like it over-easy with no additional seasonings. Transfer the eggs and fried rice cakes to a plate. Garnish green onions (optional) and serve with your choice of soy or fish sauce dipping sauce, and a side of pickled daikon and carrot (optional).
Notes
- Can substitute tapioca starch with corn starch.
- Can substitute vegetable oil with other neutral oils: peanut, canola or sunflower.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: side dish, appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese, chinese