Daikon Mochi Patties or Cakes are one of my favourite chewy, savoury pancakes. They are great as a snack or part of a meal. Before I found out I had celiac disease I loved buying these in Japan or at Asian grocery stores in Canada. A very similar daikon cake can be ordered as part of Dim Sum. Here is the gluten-free recipe I use.

Daikon radish also known as Lo Bok or white radish is the main flavour ingredient in this recipe. Unless you can find fresh daikon it will need to be peeled before grating. You need to peel quite a thick amount of skin off. As you can see in the photo above there is a slight line that you can see. You want to peel just past this line. The peel on older radishes can be bitter and tough.

The daikon needs to be grated finely. I have used a daikon grater I bought in Japan, but you can use any type of grater that will give you a very fine texture. Then strain the grated daikon and safe the liquid for later.

Soak the dried shitake mushrooms and dried shrimp in separate bowls. I like using boiling water. Once the mushrooms and shrimp are soft then drain and squeeze out the liquid. Save the liquid for later. Cut the mushrooms, carrot, green onions finely. Cut up the shrimp to a fine paste. Add sesame oil to a frying pan and fry the vegetables and shrimp. After a few minutes add some of the soaking liquid, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cook until the carrots are soft and the liquid has evaporated. Then move to a bowl to let the veggies and shrimp cool down.

Drain and rinse the tofu and mix with the grated daikon. Tofu is an optional ingredient, if you don't want to use it you can double the amount of daikon used. Then add the cooled vegetables/shrimp mixture. Combine the mochiko flour and rice flour with the vegetable/tofu/daikon mixture and mix well. You can also just use mochiko flour, this will give the patties a chewier texture.

If the mixture is dry you can now use the leftover grated daikon radish liquid or soaking liquid until you get a mixture like the one above.

Wrap a plate with some saran wrap. This helps when you want to remove the patties from the plate. Dampen your hands with water and form the mixture into balls and then press into patty shapes. This can be done the night before and wrapped and stored in the fridge until needed the next day.

Heat the frying pan and add a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil. Put the patties in the frying pan and fry on medium heat until brown on one side. Then turn the heat down and flip the patties over. Cover the frying pan with a lid and steam for about a minute. Take off the lid and turn up the heat and cook until golden brown on the other side. Remove from pan and enjoy.

Gluten-Free Panfried Daikon and Tofu Mochi Patties Recipe

Ingredients

• 200 grams grated daikon radish
• 80 grams drained medium tofu (optional)
• 40 grams grated or finely diced carrot
• 6 to 10 grams soaked and drained shittake mushrooms
• 12 grams dried shrimp
• 60 grams spring onions, sliced thinnly
• 80 grams mochiko flour
• 80 grams rice flour
• pinch of salt
• sesame oil for frying

Directions

1. Peel and weigh the daikon. Then grate the daikon and safe the liquid for later.
2. Soak the shrimp just enough warm water to cover, so that they get soft. Then drain. Reserve the soaking liquid for later. Finely cut the shrimp.
3. Soak the dried shittake mushrooms until soft in warm water. Reserve the soaking liquid for later. Fienly cut the shrimp into small pieces.
4. Peel and finely dice or grate the carrot and set aside.
5. Wash the spring onions (green onions) and finely slice and set aside.
6. Heat a frying pan and add a tablespoon or two of sesame oil. Add the carrot, shittake mushrooms, green onions and shrimp and fry until carrot is cooked. If it gets too dry use some of the reserved soaking liquid from the shrimp or mushrooms to continue cooking. When carrot is soft and liquid has evaporated, then remove from pan and let cool.
7. Rinse and drain the tofu. Mix the tofu and grated daikon together.
8. Weigh out your mochiko and rice flour and mix in a large bowl. Add the flour to the daikon/tofu mixture, add the cooled vegetables and mix until well combined. If it is dry add some of the daikon liquid and shrimp/mushroom liquid as needed until you have a paste that holds its shape.
9. With damp hands (have a bowl of water to dip your hands in) make patties that are about three inches wide and about 1/2 an inch thick. Set on a plate lined with plastic wrap.
10. You can store the patties covered in the fridge for a few hours or use them right away. Heat a frying pan up and add a couple tablespoons of sesame oil and fry the patties on medium heat until golden on both sides.
11. Serve with your favourite sweet and sour sauce or with a sauce made of 2 tablespoons of gluten-free soya sauce, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 1/2 teaspoon of karashi (Japanese hot mustard).

Above is one way I serve the patties. They are great as a snack or part of a bento box lunch. Besides the daikon and mochiko flour you can adjust any of the ingredients. I do recommend using the dried shrimp as it gives a great umami flavour to the patties.

Note: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Always seek out a medical opinion for medical concerns.