I’m a fan of savory snacks instead of sweets. If you were like me, this delicious yam cake ( Orr Kuih as the local Malaysians called it) might be your new favorite.
I’ve always wanted to make this dish but never had a chance to do so until this trip home to learn it from my mom. It’s quite labor intensive but well worth the time to get a taste of it after all the hard work.
* If you buy a whole Yam or Taro root make sure to handle it with gloves while peeling and cleaning it because if you didn’t your hand will get really itchy. In America most taro has been peeled and packaged nicely, which is a plus.
This recipes will serve about 10 -12 servings.
Ingredients for cake
250g (2 1/8 cups) rice flour 50g (1/2 cup) corn flour 1100ml water 300g (2 1/2 cups)Yam or Taro root (cut into one inch thick and 3 inches long) 1 shallots (sliced thin) 4 cups frying oil 1 teaspoon salt as desired Pinch of sugar
Ingredients for Toppings
1 cup roasted peanuts (ground into small chunks) 2 cups dried shrimp (pan fried till fragrant and ground into fine textures) 1/2 cup shallots sliced thin (deep fried till golden brown) 1/2 cup spring onions (chopped small) 1/2 cup of red chillies (chopped small)
Instructions
1. Combine both rice and corn flour in one big mixing bowl. Add water to the dry ingredients, whisk until no clumps to be seen. Add some salt and sugar to the mixture, taste according to own preferences.
2. Deep fry the taro in small batches with a work or ceramic pot until slightly brown on the edges. About 5-7 minutes remove and let it rest in a pan. When frying the last batch of taro, add in the sliced shallots at the end and continue frying for about one minutes. *Remember to constantly stir the content for even heat distribution.
3. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the frying oil, set aside. Discard the rest of the oil in a glass jar.
4. Using the same frying wok or ceramic pot add in the wet flour mixture and the reserved frying oil , heat it up using medium heat. Constantly stirring the bottom of the pan, when the mixture starting thickened into nectar to honey consistency add in the fried taro roots and shallots. (This process can take between 7-10 minutes)
5. Continue to stir content until it slowly turn into a paste. Transfer the paste into an oiled 10 inches cake pan.
6. Steam the content for 45 minutes. Serve yam cake with toppings and chili sauce.
*For children you can omit the chillies and serve the cake with ketchup. Some even add crisp bacon bits for additional crunch and flavor. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as my family do.