What is the difference between Cantonese and Taiwanese radish cakes? The origin or story of radish cakes

Cai Tou Gao is the common name for radish cake, which means good luck. It is a steamed cake made of glutinous rice flour and shredded radish. The glutinous rice is washed, ground, and flattened. The radish is shredded and cooked. The two ingredients are then mixed into a paste, and seasonings are added and mixed well and steamed. Families often make it during the Spring Festival, while teahouses serve it all year round. Radish cake is usually fried in a pan for a few minutes to make it sweet and delicious. However, bowl-shaped radish cake can be eaten hot without frying. A little bit of starch is added to make it fragrant.

Contents of this article

1. The difference between Cantonese and Taiwanese radish cakes

2. The origin or story of carrot cake

3. How to make carrot cake

The difference between Cantonese and Taiwanese radish cakes

Broadly speaking, radish cake includes two types: Taiwanese radish cake and Cantonese radish cake.

Taiwanese radish cake: It is white in appearance, and its main ingredients are rice flour and white radish. The radish is shredded and put into the rice paste made of rice flour and water. Cook over low heat until it is gelatinized and then steamed in a steamer. Taiwanese radish cake has a rather monotonous taste and can be eaten with seasoning or dipping sauce after frying.

Cantonese radish cake: It is beige or brown in appearance. Traditionally, it is made with Chinese sausage, ham, dried shrimp, fried shallots, etc. After it was introduced to Taiwan, it was modified to include dried shrimp, minced meat, shallots, etc. Since Cantonese radish cake has a lot of ingredients, it is delicious to eat directly after frying, without adding too much seasoning.

Overall analysis: Although Taiwanese and Cantonese radish cakes have different ingredients, the frying methods are the same. The frozen radish cakes need to be softened before being put into the pan. A little all-purpose flour can also be applied to the outer layer to make it less likely to stick to the pan when frying.

Pay attention when purchasing:

If you open the vacuum-packed radish cake and don't finish it, you must put it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh, and it's best to eat it within 3 days. When buying unpacked radish cake in a traditional market, you need to observe the color first. If the color is too yellow or too dark, it means it may have been stored for 2 to 3 days. Fresh radish cake feels soft and elastic. If it feels sticky, it may be a product that has been taken out of the refrigerator and thawed, so it is not recommended to buy it.

The origin or story of carrot cake

Radish cake is a traditional Chinese pastry, a traditional specialty pastry in Fujian, Guangdong and other regions. It uses Zaila rice flour, also known as "Zailai rice flour", which is the best flour to use in Chinese desserts. It can be used in making Chinese snacks such as radish cake, meatballs, and bowl cakes. Then add pickled radish shreds and other ingredients to the rice flour paste and steam it in a steamer to make a pastry snack. This pastry can be eaten in various ways and can be sold in cities of all sizes in China. It is cheap, delicious and nutritious.

Cai Tou Gao is the common name for radish cake, which means good luck. It is a steamed cake made of glutinous rice flour and shredded radish. The glutinous rice is washed, ground, and flattened. The radish is shredded and cooked. The two ingredients are then mixed into a paste, and seasonings are added and mixed well and steamed. Families often make it during the Spring Festival, while teahouses serve it all year round. Radish cake is usually fried in a pan for a few minutes to make it sweet and delicious. However, bowl-shaped radish cake can be eaten hot without frying. A little bit of starch is added to make it fragrant.

It is said that the radish cake originated from the fact that one year the locals had a bumper harvest of radishes, but they couldn't sell them, so someone made it into a cake. Not only did it taste good, it was also nutritious, so it was popular among everyone and was subsequently promoted.

How to make carrot cake

1. Soak dried shrimps in boiling water for 15 minutes. After they are soaked, cut them into 1cm dices together with Chinese sausage. Peel the white radish and grate it into thin strips.

2. Put the rice into a blender and blend it into rice flour.

3. Put a large amount of hot water in the pot, bring it to a boil over high heat, then put in the shredded radish and blanch for 2 minutes. Then take out and rinse with cold water, then squeeze out the water.

4. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. When it is 60% hot, add the diced shrimp and Chinese sausage and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then serve.

5. Add the fried diced dried shrimps, diced Chinese sausage, salt, white sugar, glutinous rice flour and rice flour to the shredded radish, mix evenly, and then mix to make the radish cake dough.

6. Take a rectangular straight-mouth container, evenly apply a little oil on the inner wall, pour the radish cake dough into it and press it firmly, then turn it upside down and put it into the steamer, steam it over high heat for 30 minutes, and cut it into 1 cm thick slices after it cools down.

7. Heat the oil in the pan. When it is 60% hot, put the radish cake slices in and fry over low heat until both sides are colored.