Ingredients

Arrowroot powder 300g

Assorted black tea

Fresh milk as needed

Sugar as needed

　　Mascarpone or whipped creamBalls as needed

Double-colored black teaArrowrootRice cakeSteps

1. Take two clean containers and put 4 tablespoons of arrowroot powder and 3 tablespoons of sugar in each.

2. Take half a cup of fresh milk (or coconut milk) and half a cup of cooled black tea.

3. Pour the black tea and fresh milk into the containers with the arrowroot powder.Thoroughly mix the arrowroot powder.Whipping cream(Cream balls) can also be added to the milk bowl.If not available, it is optional.

4. Use a small bowl to take another cup of fresh milk and one of black tea separately.Heat them in a microwave or a small pot.or

5. Once heated, pour the milk and black tea into the previously mixed arrowroot mixture while stirring continuously to prevent settling, until it becomes a semi-thick paste.

6.SteamFill half of the steamer with water; a regular wok can be used for quicker steaming time.

7. Grease an iron plate with salad oil, then pour 5 tablespoons of fresh milk and arrowroot mixture into it after the steamer is boiling.Cover the pot and steam for about four minutes.

8. After the first layer of custard cake is cooked, pour 5 tablespoons of black tea mixture on top, steam for six minutes, then continue layering in this manner until all mixtures are used up.For the third layer onwards, use 6 tablespoons of mixture and increase steaming time by two minutes per layer.

9. Once the last layer is cooked, turn off the heat and let it cool down.Then remove the multi-colored arrowroot cake with a toothpick from the iron plate and cut into portions before serving.

10. There will be distinct layers; if the fire is kept low without large bubbles during steaming, the layers will be more uniform. Mine did not come out evenly this time.

Tips

1 The ratio of water to powder for making arrowroot cake can be adjusted according to preference; more powder results in a firmer texture, less powder yields a softer one.

2 For my mother-in-law, making this arrowroot cake is like making dumplings at home—she doesn't measure each spoonful but does it by heart. This is the true essence of cooking. So don't be too precise with measurements on your first try, but it's good to have a reference.3 It’s recommended not to use fresh milk; adding it increases the steaming time compared to black tea or matcha mixtures and slows down the setting process.4 If arrowroot cake is unavailable, you can substitute with cornstarch, wheat starch, taro starch, lotus root starch, etc., which will produce similar results but won't have the same firmness as arrowroot cake.

3 I suggest not adding fresh milk, as the steaming time for pomelo rind jelly with added fresh milk is longer than that with added black tea or matcha.4 If you cannot find pomelo rind jelly, but still want to try making it, you can choose to use cornstarch, wheat starch, lotus root starch, water caltopus starch, etc., and achieve a similar effect.5 However, they won't have the same firmness as pomelo rind jelly.

If you can't buy lotus seed paste, but want to satisfy your cravings, you can use ingredients like cornstarch, tapioca starch,ginger,potato starch,pear starch,etc. to replace it, but the resulting texture will not be as chewy as lotus seed paste.