Daikon or radish cakes are often a favorite at dim sum. My old co-worker J loved them so much that he categorically denied the existence of pork in them. The first time we went to dim sum together he tried to order them and I asked “I thought you didn’t eat pork?” He muttered something in response that indicated he had no idea there was pork, in the form of Chinese sausage or ham in them. The next time we were at dim sum we had a large group and everyone had been laughing as I helped J sort out what had pork in it–virtually everything but the chicken feet! He started to reach for the daikon cakes, but (in retrospect, I probably should have looked the other way) I reminded him there was pork. He looked crestfallen. Clearly, in his mind, these were pork free. Well, here’s for you, J, a pork free version of daikon cakes!
As I told Kay, the owner of the amazing Crow’s Wing Spa about these, she pointed out that they are also an excellent naturally gluten-free dim sum treat! As a committed omnivore in every sense of the word, I rarely cook things that fit dietary needs, so I was proud that this one catered to the needs of two very wonderful people I know!
What really inspired these though is my P-patch. In that I have only successfully grown my two kinds of radish (daikon and French breakfast). And exactly two peas. They were two very tasty peas though. And I’ve got radishes coming out my ears. So I decided to create the single furthest thing from a radish I could make from a radish: dim sum radish cakes! Using shiitake mushrooms and vegetable oil in place of the ham actually worked perfectly, so it became pescatarian–still need the shrimp paste to make it delicious!
This takes a lot of time to make, but is great for making in large batches and storing for quick, fast meals. Plan to start in the evening and you’ll be ready for breakfast the next day!
fantastic! I have some of these sitting in my freezer as we speak (or is it turnip cake? dang, I can’t remember…).
can you clarify the quantity of rice flour please (1 1/2…) assume its cups ?
cant wait to make this
Oh, gosh, how embarrassing! I’ve fixed it, yes, cups!
This recipe sdnous great, Christine I’ve bookmarked it. Also, just wanted to say that in your tips about food prep there are several I can use and I don’t have kids at home anymore! Thanks.
This is really interesting, thank you for the recipe! Does the daikon need to be grated extremely fine, or are the large holes on a standard cheese grater OK? (I might not even get around to making this as I’d have to do the grating by hand…)
Kate, I think you should be fine grating it on a box grater, just make sure when you sautee, that you are getting the daikon cooked all the way through–no crunch left whatsoever. I’ve never tried it, so no promises, but my instinct, from having made this, is that you’d be fine.