Chinese Savory Black-eyed Beans Cake (五香眉豆糕)

• You can use one 9 x 9 x 2 1/4 inches square pan or if you don't have a steamer that can accommodate that size, you can split the batter into two pans. You can use two 7 inches round pans or two 8-inches round pans (the cake will be shorter a bit)
• You can also half the recipe and use one 7 or 8-inch round or square pan, or 9 x 5 loaf pan
• Brush the pan with oil all over. I didn't line the bottom with parchment paper and didn't have trouble unmolding the cake when it had cooled down completely. You can line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper if you just want to play it safe

Soak the beans if you plan to boil them on the stove:

• If you plan to cook the beans on the stove, you need to soak them for at least 4 hours or overnight. The next day, discard the soaking water and put them in a large pot. Fill it up with water, about 2 inches above the beans and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 45 minutes or until the beans are soft but not mushy. You want the beans to still hold its shape but you can mash it with your fingers

If you plan to cook the beans with a pressure cooker:

• You can skip the soaking part. I use Instant Pot pressure cooker. Put the beans in the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Fill it up with water, about 2 inches above the beans. Close the lid and turn the steam release valve to sealing. Press "pressure cooker" and make sure it's on "high pressure". Set the timer to 30 minutes and then natural release. Discard the cooking water after that
  

Set up your steamer:

• You can use a large wok, put a metal trivet in and fill it up with water. You can also use a large pot that can fit the pan you use. Put a metal trivet into the pot and fill it up with water. The water shouldn't come up too high that it touches your pan during steaming

Prepare the cake batter:

• Soak the mushroom in warm water until soft and then dice into little pieces.
• Soak the dried shrimp in warm water until they are soft and then finely mince them. Save the liquid from soaking the mushrooms and dried shrimp
  
• Combine ground pork with oyster sauce, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Stir to combine and set aside
• In a mixing bowl, combine rice flour, tapioca flour, chicken powder, sugar, salt, pepper, liquid from soaking the mushrooms and dried shrimp, then add water to make up to a total of 1200 grams of liquid for full recipe (half the amount if you are making only 1/2 the recipe)
  
• Preheat a large wok (you need a large wok or skillet if you do a full recipe, otherwise, the cake batter won't fit) with cooking oil. Add the garlic and dried shrimp and saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
  
• Add the ground pork, breaking it up with your spatula and cook until they turn opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the mushroom pieces and Chinese sausage pieces. Cook for another minute
  
• Add the cooked beans and give it a quick stir. Give you rice flour batter a mix as the flour may have settled at the bottom. Lower the heat to the lowest and then pour the rice flour batter into the wok. Keep stirring over low heat.
  
• You will start feeling some lumps forming as the rice flour mixture thickens. Just keep stirring and keep the heat low.
  
• Don't cook until the mixture is too stiff. The consistency should be thick, creamy, and spreadable. If you cook until the mixture is too thick and dry, the cake will come out dense and hard after steaming
  
• Bring the water in the steamer to a boil. Transfer the thick and creamy cake batter into a prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly throughout
  
• I use two pans
  

Steaming:

• Place the pan into the steamer and steam for 50-55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out pretty clean and no longer wet. If it's still wet, steam another 5 minutes and check again
  
• The surface of the cake may seem a bit wet at first and look undone, but this dries up as the cake cools down
  

Cooling:

• Let the cake cool down completely, about 3-4 hours before cutting

Serving:

• I prepare my toppings and then keep the onion and chili in the containers, stored in a fridge. I like to cut the cake into serving sizes and then put the toppings on top only when I'm ready to serve them. That way, I can store the cake in the fridge, reheat it to soften the cake and put the toppings on.
• Some folks like to unmold the cake and then scatter the topping evenly on top and then cut. I feel like it's a bit messier to cut (learning from past experiences), but it's really up to you how you want to do it. There's no right or wrong. Whatever works for you

How to store:

• Leftovers need to be stored in the fridge. This is why I like to keep the cake and toppings separate so when I reheat them, the fried shallots won't get soggy and the green onion won't get overcooked