Japanese Daikon Cake( 大根餅)

Preparing Daikon radish

1. Rinse it thoroughly under cold running water to remove any dirt.  
2. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Peel the skin off the daikon radish using a vegetable peeler or knife.
3. Peel the skin off the daikon radish using a vegetable peeler or knife.
4. Grate the daikon using a grater, grate the peeled daikon radish into fine shreds.*1

Preparing Dried Shiitake mushrooms

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in 1 ½ cup of warm water until they become pliable.
2. Once rehydrated, squeeze excess water and remove the stems (which can be fibrous)*2
3. Slice thinly or chop the caps according to your preference.

Making Daikon Cake Dough

1. Heat ½ tbsp of sesame oil (or vegetable oil) in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add chopped shiitake mushroom and dried shrimp to cook.
3. Add shredded daikon and the shiitake soaking water (the dashi)*3 to the pan and cook them for a several minutes.
4. When the daikon is cooked, drain the cooking liquid to separate from the solid ingredients.
5. Keep both liquid and solid ingredients separated.
6. Mix glutinous rice flour, potato starch, and salt in a mixing bowl to combine all together.
7. Gradually add ¾ cup of water while stirring continuously until you achieve a soft dough-like consistency.
8. Add the daikon, mushroom, and shrimp to the dough mixture in small batches while kneading gently but thoroughly until well combined.
9. Pour dashi stock (the shiitake water) 1 ¼ cup gradually into the mixing bowl while stirring continuously.
10. Wrap the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes.
11. Take the bowl out and stir with a wooden spatula.
12. Place the plastic wrap loosely again and microwave for a further 1 minute.
13. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir till it's a mochi like consistency.
14. Line a mould/cake pan/loaf pan with parchment paper. Steam it in a steamer for about 30-40 minutes over medium-low heat until cooked through.
15. Fill the mould with the mixture made in step 6.
16. Steam it in a steamer for about 30-40 minutes over medium-low heat until cooked through.

Pan frying

1. When it has cooled down, cut and slice it about 0.4inch/1cm thick.
2. Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat to pan fry the radish cake.