Kitchen Recipe Collection
Luobo Gao (Chinese Turnip Cake)
A Dim Sum classic often eaten for breakfast. A savory, steamed cake made from daikon radish, rice flour, Chinese sausage, and dried shrimp, sliced and pan-fried to a crisp.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 6 servings
- 600g daikon radish (lo bok), grated
- 150g rice flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Chinese sausages (lap cheong), finely diced
- 30g dried shrimp, soaked and chopped
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and diced
- 1 cup water (plus water from cooking radish)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- Cooking oil
Equipment
- Large steamer
- Wok or deep skillet
- 8x8 inch square cake pan or glass dish
Instructions
- 1
Grate the Radish
Peel and coarsely grate the daikon radish.
- 2
Cook the Radish
Boil the grated radish in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes until tender. Do not drain the water.
- 3
Prepare the Mix-ins
Finely dice the Chinese sausage, soaked dried shrimp, and soaked mushrooms.
- 4
Sauté the Mix-ins
In a separate pan, sauté the sausage, shrimp, and mushrooms until fragrant. Set aside.
- 5
Prepare the Batter
In a large bowl, whisk the rice flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, and white pepper with 1 cup of cold water until smooth.
- 6
Combine Radish and Batter
Gradually pour the hot radish and its cooking liquid into the rice flour batter, stirring constantly. It will thicken into a paste.
- 7
Fold in Mix-ins
Fold the sautéed sausage mixture into the thickened batter.
- 8
Prepare Steaming Pan
Generously oil a square cake pan or glass baking dish.
- 9
Transfer and Smooth
Pour the mixture into the pan, using a spatula to smooth the top perfectly flat.
- 10
Steam the Cake
Steam over high heat for 45-50 minutes until firm and a toothpick comes out clean.
- 11
Cool and Slice
Let the cake cool completely (preferably refrigerate overnight). Once firm, slice into thick rectangles.
- 12
Pan-fry to Serve
Pan-fry the slices in a little oil until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Serve with chili sauce.
Cooking Tips
- The cake MUST cool completely before slicing, or it will turn into mush and fall apart.
- Retaining the radish cooking liquid gives the cake its deep, authentic sweet radish flavor.
Variations
- Vegetarian: Omit the sausage and shrimp, and use extra mushrooms and fried shallots.
- Spicy: Add finely chopped Thai chilies into the batter.
Nutrition Estimate
250 calories · 7g protein · 32g carbs · 10g fat · 3g fiber per serving
