This is a guest post from
teczcape. 
The Chinese definitely prefer savory to sweet. While we associate "carrot cake" with the savory, fried style with green onions and egg, carrot cake in the west really is a cake made with shredded carrot, flour, sugar, egg, butter and oven-baked.
And while we associate "pumpkin cake" as a savory quiche type of food, typically steamed with dried shrimps and shitake mushrooms (picture above), pumpkin cake in the west is actually a sweet cake loaf.
My family (not me) makes good savory pumpkin cake. I have yet to learn it from them. But I do know the ingredients used in savory steamed pumpkin cake are usually rice flour, pumpkin, dried shitake mushrooms, dried shrimps, lean meat, shallots, salt and pepper. This mixture is mixed and pre-fried in a pan/wok to release the aroma, then subsequently steamed in a heat-proof container for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Pumpkin has an auspicious name in Chinese: 金瓜 - directly translated to Golden Gourd. Thus, the Chinese usually like to use pumpkin in festive seasons, like the Chinese New Year.
What kind of pumpkin cake do you prefer? Sweet or savory?
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Comments (5)
I'm sohungry I'd eat anything right now.
It's too sweet for my taste.
I love pumpkin, I'd say sweet.
Not sure I'm up for dried shrimp in my pumpkin cake but it could be because it's 6:30 in the morning and I'm still waiting for my first cup of coffee.
I like pumpkin muffins and I can imagine them being savory with mushrooms and onions, I really think it's the dried shrimp and even the meat that are turning me off....
The carrot cakes sound good, the savory one, the sweet carrot cake is good but only in very small doses, it is soooo sweet.
Interesting, thanks for sharing this I didn't know there were East and West takes on these two.
that savory pumpkin cake sounds fantastic. my husband and i love pumpkin and squash soups and ravioli that are savory. we also like carrot and pumpkin cakes and cookies. i'd love to try to make a savory dish like the one you described above.