Chinese · Dessert
Water Chestnut Cake
A glassy, jelly-like Cantonese teahouse classic made by thickening a brown sugar syrup with starch and studding it with crunchy fresh water chestnut, then steaming it to a wobbly, translucent set. Traditionally made with true water chestnut starch, this version leans on tapioca starch for the same chewy, springy bite.
$0
15 minsPrep
28 minsCook
103 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
206Calories
0.1gProtein
2.5gFat
46.4gCarbs
22.8gSugar
0.2gFiber
7mgSodium
0mgChol
2.2gSat Fat
33mgPotassium
24mgCalcium
0.9mgIron
0mcgVitamin B12
0mgVitamin C
0gPolyol
0gAllulose
0gAlcohol
Goes well with
Pear Cider
local
Longjing Tea
international
vegetarian
vegan
gluten-free
dairy-free
sweet-spot
all-time-classics
Instructions
1
Peel and finely dice fresh water chestnuts (represented here as the diced 'water' row standing in for chestnut flesh) and set aside 30g.
2
Dissolve 45g brown sugar into 90g boiling water, stirring until fully clear, then let cool slightly.
3
In a separate bowl whisk 55g tapioca starch into 60g cold water to form a smooth slurry with no lumps.
4
Pour the warm sugar water into the starch slurry in a thin stream, whisking constantly until the mixture turns slightly translucent and thickens like a loose batter.
5
Fold the diced water chestnut pieces through the batter evenly.
6
Grease a 10cm/4 inch round cake tin with melted coconut oil.
7
Pour the batter into the tin and cover tightly with foil to prevent condensation dripping in.
8
Set up a steamer with a few centimetres of boiling water, place the tin on a trivet, and steam over medium-high heat for 25-30 minutes until the cake turns fully translucent and firm to the touch.
9
Remove and cool completely at room temperature, at least 1 hour, so the starch fully sets before unmoulding.
10
Turn out, slice into wedges, and serve at room temperature or lightly pan-fried for a crisp edge.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 90g90g Water, boiling
- 60g60g Water, cold, for slurry
- 45g45g Brown Sugar, dissolved in boiling water
- 55g55g Tapioca Potato Starch, water chestnut starch substitute, sifted
- 30g30g Water, diced fresh, folded through batter
- 5g5g Coconut Oil, melted, for greasing tin
