DIM SUM MONTH: Turnip cake fritters w/ prosciutto
DIM SUM MONTH CONTINUES…
WHAT: A very logical and long-overdue twist on the classic and quintessential dim sum – turnip/radish cake, in bite-size fritter form.
WHY: For far too long have we allowed ourselves to be complacent with “tradition”, in this particular case, boring and bland squares of steamed rice cakes barely containing any turnips that draw all of its flavors and appeals from the XO sauce that is piled on top. I mean think about it. Without the XO sauce, who the fuck is turnip cake? Even the slight attraction from its crispy pan-fried edges is more often missing than not. But turnip cake deserves more than XO sauce, if we just take a moment to let the star – turnips! – shine through.
HOW: An almost 50:50 ratio of finely diced Chinese turnips (or called daikon in Japanese) to batter, yields a supple and succulent texture in these little babies, almost juicy if you will. Yes, juicy, which is not a word you hear often when it comes to turnip cakes, but it should. Each tiny dices of blanched turnips burst out in natural sweetness within every bite, in perfect juxtaposition to the stickier batter that holds them all together and the incredibly crispy jacket that it wears. Yes, crispiness, which brings us to my next point. For all sakes, I don’t understand the way this dish was traditionally done, which was steamed into a big rectangular block, cut into slices, then pan-fried for that half-assed, pathetic excuse of a “crust” that doesn’t exist. All along, it should’ve been in fritter-form! 360 degrees of heat and awesomeness that transforms that batter into blistered and satisfying crunch. With turnip cake this good, we don’t need other distractions but a subtle ribbon of prosciutto on top.
*Yellow mixing bowl from Dishes Only.
