When I first took my husband to dim sum with my parents, his eyes lit up when plates and bamboo baskets of tasty and amazing Chinese food kept being brought out and set on the table. My parents like to order lots, and it’s fair to say we never leave feeling hungry. There were some dishes he recognised including siu mai dumplings and char siu pork, but there were others that were completely new to him including lo bak go – or dim sum turnip cake as he likes to call it. At first, he wasn’t too sure about trying it – because let’s face it, turnip cake really doesn’t sound all that appetising. However, after the first bite, he was hooked. It really is delicious and has become a firm favourite.
But we can’t always get to the dim sum restaurant – which is why I like to make it at home for all of us to enjoy. I also think it’s worth the effort – even though the hardest part is waiting for lo bak go to firm up overnight in the fridge. So, if you’ve ever wondered how to make it, or are curious about what it tastes like – be adventurous and give this Chinese turnip cake recipe a try.
What is turnip cake [lo bak go]?
Lo bak is Cantonese for radish, and it’s a long white root vegetable. It is also commonly known as daikon in Japan and is used in many popular Asian dishes. Technically, lo bak go should be called radish cake, but Cantonese restaurants translated it into turnip cake – not sure why, but the name has stuck. There are many different variations including vegetarian turnip cake, but essentially this recipe which has been passed down from my grandma is a combination of grated turnip, rice flour, Chinese sausage, mushrooms, and spring onions. The mixture is steamed, and then after chilling, it’s pan-fried until the outside is crispy.
What does it taste like?
Turnip cake is a wonderfully savoury dish. The lo bak has a slightly bitter taste on its own but this doesn’t come through. Instead, you get a lovely crunch on the outside and a soft and delicious flavour on the inside. And, let’s face it, it’s also packed full of nutrients and vegetables – so you could say this dish is good for you!
How to make this turnip cake recipe
Even though it may sound like quite a complicated dish, it really isn’t. And you can easily buy all the ingredients from good Asian supermarkets. What you need is the following:
- Lo bak or daikon
- Chinese sausage [lap cheong]
- Chinese mushrooms or shitake mushrooms
- spring onions
- salt and pepper
- garlic powder
- rice flour – I like to use Thai rice flour
Firstly, whisk together the rice flour, salt, garlic powder, and pepper with the water in a bowl until well combined. Then chop the spring onions, Chinese sausage and mushrooms. Peel off the lo bak’s skin, cut it into large pieces, and then grate. Or if using a food processor, finely chop the lo bak on a medium setting for 30-40 seconds.
Once you’re ready to serve, slice the turnip cake and then pan-fry in vegetable oil in a non-stick pan until golden and crispy.
What if I want to make it vegetarian?
You can make vegetarian lo bak go or vegan turnip cake by removing the Chinese sausage altogether and by adding another vegetable. Diced carrots work really well as their sweetness really adds to the flavour. You could also add more mushrooms and spring onions, as well as some chopped shallots.
Other ingredients you can add?
This recipe is my grandma’s and she often adds dried shrimp or dried scallops which also work really well in this dish. However, I like to keep mine pretty simple which is why I omit the seafood. You can get both ingredients in Asian supermarkets and just add the same amount as the Chinese sausage – approximately 50g.
Why make lo bak go for Lunar Chinese New Year?
Turnip cake is a really popular dish for Lunar New Year. We always have it as part of a bigger Chinese feast. White radish is also called ‘choi tau’ in some parts of China, which sounds like ‘good luck’ in Chinese. So lo bak go is considered an auspicious dish and one that can bring good luck.
What to serve with lo bak go recipe?
As this is a dim sum dish, lo bak go can be eaten with other dim sum dishes including vegetables, noodles and dumplings. However, we like to eat this on its own [it’s pretty filling] dipped in a mix of soy sauce and chilli sauce. Just delicious. Here are some other dim sum recipes you could also try:
Chinese turnip cake [lo bak go]
Ingredients
- 800-900 g of lo bak or daikon radish grated or sliced in a food processor
- 4-5 dried Chinese or shitake mushrooms soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes, drained and finely chopped
- 170 g of rice flour
- 1 Chinese sausage finely chopped into cubes
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 3 spring onions
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 350 mls of water
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Instructions
- Firstly, whisk together the rice flour, salt, garlic powder, pepper with the water in a bowl until all well combined.
- Then chop the spring onions, Chinese sausage and mushrooms. You're looking to chop them into small diced pieces.
- Peel off the lo bak's skin, cut into large pieces, then grate. Or if using a food processor, finely chop the lo bak on a medium setting for 30-40 seconds.
- Heat a large non-stick pan with a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, the Chinese sausage and the spring onions. Sauté them for 2-3 minutes. Then add the shredded lo bak and continue to cook until it turns translucent and all water has evaporated. Season with a pinch more salt and pepper and add the sugar. Give it a good stir.
- Turn the heat low, give the rice flour batter a mix and add to the lo bak.
- Then continue to cook, while stirring constantly. You'll soon see the mixture thickening and it will look like paste-like.
- Transfer the mixture into a lightly greased non-stick loaf tin. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the pan Then, cover it with foil.
- Steam the turnip cake over high heat for about 40 minutes. You can use a bamboo steamer or a wok with a lid. Make sure there is enough water in the pan while it is steaming, and top up with more water if necessary.
- Once the cake has cooked, carefully remove from the steamer and let the cake cool down completely, before refrigerating for at least 3-4 hours, preferably overnight.
- You can eat it like this, freshly steamed – some people prefer it soft, but personally, it's so much tastier pan fried.
Pan-frying the turnip cake
- Run a knife around the edges of the turnip cake. It will be well set now and should easily come out of the loaf tin when turned upside down.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the cake into 1-2 cm thick slices.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan with around 2-3 tablespoons of oil.
- Carefully add the turnip cake slices into the hot oil. You may need to do these in several batches. Pan-fry until golden brown before flipping, around 3 minutes each side. Repeat until you get the crispiness and colour at you like.
- Serve immediately with chilli sauce and soy sauce.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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