Taro Mochi Cake (Xue Mei Niang)

Ingredients

• 200 g Lianpu taro
• 3 g purple sweet potato powder
• 165 g milk
• 50 g glutinous rice flour (batch A)
• 75 g glutinous rice flour (batch B)
• 22 g cornstarch
• 30 g butter
• 145 g heavy cream
• 26 g caster sugar

Method

Steam the taro until a knife slides through without resistance — roughly 40 minutes depending on size. Purée with 30 ml milk and 25 ml cream until completely smooth, then fold in the purple sweet potato powder and 18 g caster sugar. The powder distributes unevenly if you blitz it; folding prevents streaking. Set the filling aside to cool.

For the mochi dough: whisk together batch B glutinous rice flour, cornstarch, 135 ml milk, and 50 g caster sugar, then pass through a fine sieve to break up lumps — this matters because unmilled flour creates a grainy final texture. Pour into a wide, shallow vessel, cover with cling film, pierce a few holes to allow steam to escape unevenly, and steam over medium heat for 30 minutes. The dough will transform from batter to translucent jelly. While it steams, dry-toast batch A glutinous rice flour in a flat pan over low heat, stirring constantly until it smells faintly toasted and looks pale gold. This powder prevents sticking without adding moisture, crucial because wet anti-stick flour defeats the purpose.

The moment the steamed dough comes off heat, fold in the butter whilst the mixture is still hot — the residual warmth emulsifies the fat into the dough, creating a silky texture. If you wait, you'll knead harder and overwork the gluten structure. Chill for one hour until the dough firms enough to handle without tearing.

Whip the remaining 120 ml cream with 8 g caster sugar to soft peaks — the dough will compress it, so under-whip slightly. Dust your work surface with toasted flour. Knead the chilled dough for 5 minutes to relax it, divide into 30 g portions, and roll each flat. Pipe 5 g cream into the centre, top with 30 g taro filling, then gather the dough edges and seal by pinching — think dim sum bao technique. Dust generously with anti-stick flour and place seam-side down on a tray. Refrigerate until service. These collapse if left at room temperature; the mochi dough softens as it warms, and the cream will weep.