Place the water, vinegar and sugar in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil and then simmer until the sugar dissolves. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Let it cool and then store in a jar container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about a week
Preparing the savory shrimp topping:
Place the shrimp in a medium sauce pan and cover with just enough water and cook until they turn pink. Drained and roughly chop. Put them in a food processor along with the dried shrimp you have soaked and softened. Grind them into tiny pieces. Preheat a medium skillet with cooking oil and saute the shrimp mixture until they are dry and fragrant. Remove and set aside for later
Preparing the scallions:
Wipe the pan you use to cook the shrimp earlier. Preheat cooking oil and saute the scallions until they are soft
Preparing the pork/chicken topping:
Mix the ground meat with fish sauce and sugar. Leave it for 30 minutes. Preheat the same pan you use to cook scallions earlier with some oil. Add in the ground meat and saute them until cook through. Break the meat up with your spatula as you are cooking it. Remove from the heat into a bowl and set aside for later use
Making the cakes:
In a large bowl, mix together rice flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour & salt. Add 250 ml water and stir to mix. Add in the water which has been left 15 minutes after boiling. This step is very important. You don't want the flour to be cooked but you also don't want the water to separate from the flour, this method is to stabilize the flour and give each rice cake the dimple in the middle, like water ferns
Prepare your steamer by adding water. Water in the steamer needs to be boiling at all time during the steaming of the rice cake. This is very important
If you have individual condiments bowls, you can use them, or you can use mini muffin tins. Brush them with a bit of oil. Make sure you place these inside the steamer and let them steam empty for 1-2 mins, Then depending on the size of your bowls, spoon the batter to 3/4 of the bowls, ( It's easier to use measuring cup with pouts to pour the batter), close the steamer lid and steam on high for 5 minutes. I always give the batter a stir before I pour them into the bowls/cups
Leave to cool before either taking the cake out and arrange on a plate and or you can leave them in the bowls and then fill with toppings. I used a mini rubber spatula to remove them from the bowl without any issue
When ready to serve, sprinkle some savory shrimp, scallions, and ground meat toppings. Serve with the sauce and do chua