Yam Cake, a popular local savoury kuih ‘snack’ made from cubed yam steamed with rice flour is a favourite in many local homes. The truth is, it is so popular that you can get it just almost anywhere from a little stall on a busy street to a cafe in an elegant shopping mall. Moreover, it can be eaten as breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or even supper.
Making a yam cake is actually not difficult at all, just a few simple steps to follow.
Ingredients
1 small yam (rinsed, skin peeled and cubed)
3 shallots (sliced finely)
2 Tbsp dried shrimps (washed, soaked in hot water to soften, slightly pounded with a mortar and pestle)
100 gm rice flour
3 Tbsp tapioca flour
550 ml filtered water
sea salt
1 tsp five spice powder
white pepper
Method
Note : Most yam cake recipes call for alkaline water which give this dish a gelatin texture but I have omitted it altogether. Instead, I keep my yam cake cling wrapped overnight in the refrigerator to firm up the texture. As for the tapioca flour (tapioca starch), it gives the dish an attractive glistening look.
9 Comments
Yum! Tummy rumbling already this early morning.
my mom made this pretty often that’s why din bothered to cook :p my mom doesnt need alkali water either and its pretty firm.
sedap sedap sedap!!!!
Boo… this is my local version of light cheesecake, however much still can finish lor!
You’re right babe! my mom used to make this so often until I didn’t think twice how its made.
Edith … makan makan makan!!!
aiyoyo, this is one of my favourite. i love the one my dad’s friend use to make and gave to our family. i like them along with the Taiping chee cheong fun too
hi there audrey,
do we really have to use filtered water? what does it do?
can we just substitute with normal water? :p
perhaps stupid question, but i really do not know!
thanks
Hi Rayhana, filtered water is just normal tap water run thro the filteration system to rid chlorine, lead, microscopic germs, bacteria etc. Yes, u may use normal water.
Are alkali water / air abu / lye water the same thing ? Is there a substitute for alkali water in the yam cake recipe ?
Hi Nan! They are all the same thing. I don’t substitute, just chill it, gives me the same effect.