Turnip Cake / Lo Bak Go / 萝卜糕 (Steamed or Pan Fried)

🧂 Ingredients

• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 700 g white radish
• 5 shallots
• 2 tbsp dried shrimps
• 2 Chinese sausages
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 0.5 tsp white pepper powder
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 160 g rice flour
• 40 g corn starch

  or corn flour (in Asia)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

  for frying the radish cake
• 1 red chilli
• 1 spring onion
• 3-4 tbsp fried shallots
• Sweet soy sauce

  optional
• Chilli sauce

  optional

Instructions

• 1 Remove the skin of 2 Chinese sausages by using a knife and slice off the side,
  then peel off the skin.
  
  Then dice the sausages finely.
• 2 Soak 5 dried shiitake mushrooms for about 15 minutes or until softened.
  
  Drain off the water and squeeze dry the dried shrimps.
  
  Mince the dried shrimps finely. 
  
  Note: Save the water to use later.
• 3 Soak 5 dried shiitake mushrooms for about 30 minutes or until softened.
  
  Drain off the water and squeeze dry the mushrooms.
  
  Remove the stems of the mushrooms and mince coarsely.
  
  Note: Save the water to use later.
• 4 Combine the dried shrimps water and mushroom water. Sieve off the solid bits.
• 5 Peel and mince 5 shallots finely.
  
  Wash and slice the green part of 1 spring onion, to use as garnish.
  
  Wash and slice 1 red chilli, to use as garnish.
• 6 Chop off the head and tail of 700 g white radish. Peel the skin with a vegetable
  peeler. 
  
  Cut the radish into thick pieces.
  
  Grate the radish using a food processor or manually with a hand grater.
• 7 In a pot over medium heat, boil the grated radish in the shrimps and mushrooms
  water.
  
  Once boiled, reduce to simmer for about 5 minutes until the radish is wilted.
  Then turn off the heat.
  
  Drain off the radish liquid and squeeze the radish as dry as possible. Let the
  radish liquid cool down for later use.
• 8 Mix 160 g rice flour, 40 g corn starch, and 300ml of the turnip water (flour to
  liquid ratio is 2:3) until well incorporated with no signs of flour. 
• 9 In a wok or big pan over medium-low heat, warm 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil.
  
  Add the chopped Chinese sausage and fry until slightly crispy.
  
  Add chopped shallots, dried shrimps, and mushrooms, and saute until aromatic..
  Add more vegetable oil if it's too dry.
• 10 Turn off heat. 
  
  Add boiled turnip, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 0.5
  tsp white pepper powder.
• 11 Mix well until the turnip is coated with the seasonings evenly.
  
  Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings if needed.
• 12 Gradually add the flour mixture into the turnip mixture and mix well. Make sure
  there are no lumps. 
  
  Then turn on low heat.
  
  Stir constantly until the mixture becomes thicker with no signs of liquid. 
  
  Then turn off the heat. 
• 13 Grease a cake tin or glass dish with some vegetable oil.
  
  Note: I used an 8-inch cake tin.
• 14 Pour in the turnip mixture and level the top with a spatula.
• 15 Boil water in a steamer pot.
  
  Once boiled, place the turnip cake tin into the steamer, covered with aluminium
  foil.
  
  Steam over medium-low heat for 40- 50 min. 
  
  To test if the turnip cake is ready, test with a stick inserted into the middle
  of the cake, if it comes out clean without wet batter, it’s done.
  
  Remove from steamer.
• 16 Let it cool completely inside the container.
  
  Once cooled, run a spatula around the sides of the cake tin. place a plate over
  the cake tin. Flip the cake tin with the plate upside down. The radish cake
  should unmould easily from the cake tin.
• 17 Garnish with spring onion, chilli, and 3-4 tbsp fried shallots.
• 18 Serve as is, with Chilli sauce or Sweet soy sauce. Best served on the same day.
• 19 For pan fried crispy turnip cake, cut the lo bak go into slices of about 1-inch
  thick. Warm some 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
  
  Pan fry the turnip cake until both sides turn golden brown and crispy.
• 20 Garnish the crispy turnip cake with spring onions.
  
  Serve with Chilli sauce or Sweet soy sauce. Best served on the same day.

Nutrition Info