Steamed Taro Cake (commonly known as Yam Cake)

~ Steamed Vegetarian Yam Cake ~

As I grow older and left my hometown, I have deviated from the interest in buying starchy food with high level of carbohydrate. It is harder to please the palate for traditional food these days. Steamed Yam Cake is one of the common traditional food amongst Malaysians and Singaporeans. Many grow up with it as a breakfast meal. I used to love them but stayed away these days due to the difficulty in getting some nice ones and I am not willing to “waste” the calories intake quota to keep trying.

Recently, Steamed Yam Cake has become increasingly popular amongst my acquaintances across Malaysia. It drew my attention. So, I obtained the recipe from a great mentor, Madam Yin Ying Yuk, the director of AMC East Malaysia whom has always been actively sharing all her discovery in cooking innovatively with the AMC Premium Cooking System. This Steamed Yam Cake is a particularly popular dish amongst all AMC enthusiasts since more than 20 years ago. It is so convenient to make these days, there is no reason I would not try making my very own Steamed Yam Cake.

Steamed Yam Cake the AMC way means a breakthrough method in steaming. Delicate flour textured food with the AMC Premium Cooking System is done without a wokful of boiled water for steaming over a tray. The rice flour batter is poured directly in a Pot or Pan unit and steamed is done automatically with heat below 100°C. The batter is steam-cooked with heat evenly distributed at the bottom of the Akkutherm (at the Pan base). Only the Navigenio, used automatically setting has such delicate heat.

I used to have the worries of soggy, over & under-cooked and even burnt bottom of my Steamed Yam Cake. As I have discovered the automatic cooking with the AMC Premium Cooking System, these “delicate care” required recipes to make reasonably presentable Yam Cake is no longer a hindrance for me to try out traditional delicacies like this. It is possible to steam all kinds of gluten or non-gluten free food directly placed on a Pan/Pot unit. Steaming Yam Cake this way:-

the automatic temperature control does not send evaporated steam onto the food resulting in soggy Yam Cake and
the automatic heat control is so delicate and evenly distributed within the pot/pan, ensuring all yam cubes are cooked thoroughly.

With all the AMC automatic system, a dear friend has once interestingly thought the automatic feature in cookware takes away the authenticity of cooking skills and knowledge from men. I disagree with that remark made as I still decide on the ratio and types of ingredients and the cook duration to my desired flavours, taste and texture of all my cooking. Aren’t these few amongst the most important factors to determine if cooking is done well? The heat control is on cumbersome skill to master. Different heat source again play a crucial role in cooking. As I can never or I would say I am too lazy to spend more time in mastering it, I might as well leave it to the automatic system for a better control. The system does it’s best.

I have never dreamt of being able to cook my own Steamed Yam Cake which falls under the traditional food group in our Chinese culture. Now that I have the AMC Navigenio with complete fool proof automatic system, I couldn’t be happier that I can cook not just for my family but for my guests too!

Steamed Vegetarian Yam Cake Recipe (a round tray of 24cm Diameter and about 1 inch thick) :

300 grams Yam (cubed 6mm x 6mm)
150 grams Dried Salted Radish (Chai Poh), minced/chopped (soaked for 30 minutes)
8 stalks Chinese Mushrooms (soaked till soft & finely chopped)
2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
150 grams Rice Flour
500ml Water
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
1 teaspoon Five Spice Powder
8 Deep-fried Shallots (may be prepared in advance)
2 Red Chilli (deseeded & cubed 4mm x 4mm)
2 stalks Spring Onion (chopped 4mm)

AMC Healthy Cooking Method :

Preheat a 24cm Flat Roaster unit/Roasting Pan unit with Navigenio heat level “3” up to 50°C or “Meat Window”. Use Audiotherm as an indicator by turning it on, place on lid knob/Visiotherm, indicating 50°C or “Meat Window”.
When Audiotherm beeps indicating readiness for stir-frying, turn off both Navigenio and Audiotherm. Add cooking oil to the Pan unit, swirl it to make cooking oil spread equally before adding all dried radish (Chai Poh) and mushrooms, gently stir-fry. Add yam cubes, gently stir-fry. Add 50ml water. (NOTE : Alternatively, you may set aside half OR all of the stir-fried Chai Poh and mushrooms for garnishing before adding the yam cubes to the Pan for stit-frying. It is your choice. The photos featured below shows that I have stir-fried the Chai Poh & mushrooms and cubed yam separately.)
Cover pan with lid. Switch on Navigenio to automatic “A”. Turn on Audiotherm, place on lid knob/Visiotherm on lid, indicating 80°C or “Carrot Window” and set 2 minutes to cook.
Meanwhile, mix rice flour well with the remaining water. Add salt, white pepper and five spice powder to the rice flour mixture.
When Audiotherm beeps indicating readiness for stir-frying, turn off both Navigenio and Audiotherm. Stir the rice flour mixture into the Pan unit.
Cover pan with lid. Switch on Navigenio to automatic “A”. Turn on Audiotherm, place on lid knob/Visiotherm on lid, indicating 80°C or “Carrot Window” and set 6 minutes to cook.
Garnish with fried shallots, chopped red chilli and spring onion. Cut with a spatula and serve.

Tips :

Chopped Dried Shrimps, Cubed Chinese Sausages and minced meat may be added to make a non-vegetarian version of steamed yam cake. It is all up to individual preference.
Waterless steaming directly in an AMC Roasting Pan instead of over a wokful of water makes food richer and more flavourful.

Add oil to an AMC 16cm 1.3 litre Benjamin Pot or the smallest Pot you have to deep-fry some thinly sliced shallots for garnishing later.

Heat the oil to 50°C or Meat Window.

Add the sliced shallots to the heated oil.

Deep-fried shallots beautifully done after 5 minutes, depending how much shallots you added to the oil. The more shallot, the more moist and it may require a few more minutes to bring to a golden colour. Remove the small pot from the Navigenio before it is completely brown as the residual heat is sufficient to do the rest.