Yen Can Cook ~ Steamed Radish Balls
Steamed Radish Balls, a Hakka dish that receives lesser attention compared to other more famous Hakka dishes such as Hakka Stuffed Tofu (Yong Tau Foo), Ground Tea (Lei Cha), Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (Mui Choy Kau Yoke), Yam Abacus (Suan Pan Zi), etc. It might not be the most visually attractive dish but rest assured, like most of the other Hakka dishes, it is hearty and rich of flavours.
Ingredients (Serve: 3-4)
200g shredded white radish
150g minced meat
3 Shiitake Mushrooms (dried/fresh – soaked till soft if using dried mushrooms), chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
50g dried shrimp, chopped
50g tapioca starch
2 teaspoons salt (to draw out radish juice)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
Cooking oil
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Step 1: Put the shredded radish into a big bowl, sprinkle with salt and allow to rest for 10 – 15 minutes. Squeeze out the juice drawn out from the radish, set aside.
Step 2: Heat up cooking oil in a wok, add in chopped garlic and dried shrimp, stir fry till fragrant. Add in minced meat and chopped mushrooms, continue to cook until the meat is fully cooked. Season with salt, sugar and chicken bouillon powder, stir to mix well. Lastly, add in chopped spring onion and stir to mix. Dish up and slightly let cold.
Step 3: Brush a layer of cooking oil on a heat-proof plate and prepare the steamer.
Step 4: Add the meat mixture (Step 2) and tapioca starch into the shredded radish (Step 1). Mix until all ingredients are well combined. Shape the mixture into ball shape, and put on the heat-proof plate (Step 3).
Step 5: Put into steamer and steam over high heat for 10 minutes. Serve. (Mine a bit run out of shape after steamed, maybe not enough tapioca starch was added 囧)
HAPPY COOKING! #stayhealthy #staysafe
Your radish balls look in pretty good shape to me. ^_~ If you didn’t say the radish was shredded, I would have thought they were chopped coz I don’t see them in long strands. Your radish ball mixture is what I’d use also as a filling for fried wantans (except with the addition of prawns and substituting radish with jicama). I think jicama is interchangeable with radish and would work in this recipe too since they’re both crunchy and juicy when cooked (jicama is probably sweeter). I’d certainly try this out and make steamed meatballs (instead of fried ones) for a change. P/S: I didn’t know that steamed radish balls is a Hakka dish.
Kris, I cut the radish crosswise before shred it, hence the shorter strands. When you said substitute with jicama, it makes me think of Jiu Hu Char, hehe 😛
Never had this before, looks so perfect!
KY, try it out!