Taro Cake

Taro Cake (Simplified Chinese: 芋头糕; Traditional Chinese: 芋頭糕; Pinyin: Yùtóu gāo) is a Cantonese Dim Sum savory cake of rice flour and taro, steamed then commonly pan-fried—cousin to Turnip Cake on tea-house menus.

Characteristics

Slices show a soft, slightly sticky rice-flour interior studded with taro chunks. Pan-frying builds a golden crust while the center stays tender. Dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, or cured bacon bits add savory depth; the overall flavor is mild-umami rather than spicy. It is distinct from deep-fried honeycomb Taro Puff (芋角) and from sweet Taro Paste desserts.

Ingredients (overview)

Taro, rice flour (sometimes mixed starches), water or stock, dried shrimp, Chinese sausage or bacon bits, white pepper, salt, and oil for frying. Batter is steamed in a pan until set, cooled, sliced, then pan-fried to order in yum cha kitchens.

History and culture

Taro cake is a standard Cantonese tea-house item with Turnip Cake, Lo Mai Gai, and other steamed cakes on Dim Sum and Hong Kong Food / Guangdong Food lists. Home cooks also make large steamed trays for Lunar New Year grazing, frying slices as needed. The dish sits in the broader southern rice-snack family mapped on Chinese Rice Snack.

Serving and variations

Served on dim-sum plates, often with chili sauce or hoisin-style dips at the table. Some shops keep it steamed-only; others emphasize a heavier fried crust. Compare Turnip Cake for the lo bak go parallel and Taro Puff for fried taro dim sum of a different texture.

At yum cha, taro cake usually arrives as a few pan-fried rectangles per plate, sometimes with a small dish of chili sauce. Leftover steamed cake keeps in the fridge and fries well the next day, which is why home New Year trays are practical beyond the holiday itself.

See also

• Dim Sum
• Turnip Cake
• Taro Puff
• Taro Paste
• Lo Mai Gai
• Hong Kong Food
• Guangdong Food
• Chinese Rice Snack
• List of dishes (A-Z)