If it is not obvious enough, I love the Hong Kong cuisine and street foods! A huge contributor may be my upbringing – being raised in a Cantonese-speaking household that lived just a few blocks away from Chinatown and went to TVB series for entertainment 😁. For these reasons, I’ve discovered foods that are served in Hong Kong and have sampled quite a number of them from Chinatowns across the U.S. (and Hong Kong itself). Nothing beats first-hand experiences and enjoying authentic foods straight out of a Hong Kong street vendor in the midst of a nighttime stroll, but this recipe for Red Bean Pudding Cake or Boot Jai Go takes me there!
It comes to a surprise to me that Boot Jai Go is rarely sold nowadays, even in the most popular Chinese bakeries here in New York. Years ago when I still resided in Manhattan’s Chinatown, I would consider myself lucky when I came across Boot Jai Go behind displays. Now that I’ve moved to the suburbs, these “cakes” are nonexistent, sadly. Hence, I began creating, testing and steaming Boot Jai Go batters in my own kitchen. They’re extremely easy to make, which shocks me even more that they’re not sold anywhere. Nevertheless, I am hit with nostalgia each time I make and enjoy these cakes at home and am happy to share the recipe with you all so that you can be taken back to Hong Kong and your fondest childhood memories.
Boot Jai Go is traditionally steamed in earthen bowls and turned out of the bowls with bamboo skewers, upon cooling. The frugal Chinese mom that I am refuse to purchase new bowls just to make boot jai go, so I have been playing around with shapes and sizes, using rice bowls, small jars, egg tart molds and sauce dishes. Regardless of the shape, size and whether the outcome is a traditionally round cake with a crater in the center, here is the recipe! I hope you enjoy the texture, flavors and using some creativity like I did. Please check out my YouTube video below to witness my toddler and I cooking red beans directly in the Instant Pot (takes only 15 minutes!) and the results of steaming the batter in various molds. Don’t forget to tag me @rackoflam on social media, leave a comment and/or subscribe to my channel for more recipes!
Red Bean Pudding Cake (Boot Jai Go 砵仔糕) Recipe
Ingredients
- 75 g rice flour
- 5 g wheat starch
- 3 tbsp cooked red beans or to taste
- 4 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 cup water separated into two 1/2 cups
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the rice flour, wheat starch and 1/2 cup water. Mix until well blended.
- In a small pot, add the remaining 1/2 cup water with the dark brown sugar. Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. (You may turn off the fire once water is hot or let it come to a slight boil)
- Add both mixtures (from steps 1 and 2) together and mix until combined.
- Bring some water in a steamer pot to a boil.
- Lightly coat 6 earthen bowls with some oil, then steam them while empty for about 5 minutes.
- Place 1.5 tsp of cooked red beans into each bowl. Subsequently, divide the batter between the bowls equally and steam for 15-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. See Note 1
- Remove the cakes from the steamer pot and allow them to cool.
- Serve at room temperature and enjoy! See Note 2.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 6 pudding cakes if using traditional earthen bowls. You can divide the 3 tbsp of cooked red beans between the bowls (1.5 tsp of red beans per bowl). You may also top the steamed pudding cakes with additional red beans (optional), in which case you will need more cooked red beans.
- Traditionally, bamboo skewers are used to turn the cakes out of the earthen bowls and used to hold the cakes while they are eaten.
PRODUCTS USED/RECOMMENDED:
- Rice Flour – https://amzn.to/36m4dqK
- Wheat Starch – https://amzn.to/3j2RWN1
- Dark Brown Sugar – https://amzn.to/3ahJ81J
- Brown Candy – https://amzn.to/2Ynx0XA
- Red Beans – https://amzn.to/2Yp7sJw
EQUIPMENT/TOOLS USED IN VIDEO:
- Egg Tart Molds – https://amzn.to/3pFe6Hb
- Stainless Steel Wok – https://amzn.to/3hDMMXm
- Instant Pot – https://amzn.to/383TDGg
- Whisk – https://amzn.to/2JPMzUe
- Mesh Sieves – https://amzn.to/3bobmu9
- Ball 4oz Jars – https://amzn.to/2O2NcLX
- Bamboo Skewers – https://amzn.to/3trj9xD
