Taro cake (traditional Chinese: 芋頭糕; simplified Chinese: 芋头糕; pinyin: yùtóu gāo; Cantonese Yale: wuhtáu gōu) is a Cantonese dish made from the vegetable taro. While it is denser in texture than radish cakes, both of these savory cakes are made in similar ways, with rice flour as the main ingredient. As a dim sum, it is usually cut into rectangular slices and pan-fried before serving. It is found in Hong Kong, China, and overseas Chinatown restaurants. Other ingredients often include pork and Chinese black mushroom, or even Chinese sausages.[1] It is usually topped with chopped scallions.

Taro cake
Taro cake
Alternative namesYam cake
CourseDim Sum
Place of originSouthern China
Region or stateEast Asia and Southeast Asia
Main ingredientsTaro, rice flour
VariationsFried and steamed
Taro cake
Traditional Chinese芋頭
Simplified Chinese芋头
Literal meaningtaro cake
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinyùtóu gāo
IPA[ŷtʰǒʊkáʊ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationwuhtáu gōu
Jyutpingwu6 tau2 gou1
IPA[wu˨tʰɐw˧˥kɔw˥]
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese芋粿
Transcriptions
Southern Min
Hokkien POJō͘-ké or ō͘-kóe

Variety

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Regional home-style

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The other version is the more home-style baked version. Usually it uses the same ingredients and steamed for long periods of time in a deep pan until it is ultra soft and pasty. The formula varies greatly depending on the family recipe or regional tastes.

Frozen taro cake

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Some restaurants offer taro cakes cut into small cubes as part of a main course appetizer to a major Chinese cuisine. These are sometimes frozen to a more solid state, though it is not nearly as common as the other forms.

In other cultures

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Yam cake

A similar dish is prepared in the cuisine of Vietnam, where it is called bánh khoai môn.

In Malaysia and Singapore, it is known as yam cake.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chinese New Year Taro Cake". christinesrecipes.com. January 26, 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2012.