Kitchen Recipe Collection
Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go)
A savory, umami-packed dim sum staple. Grated daikon radish mixed with rice flour, Chinese sausage, and dried shrimp, steamed into a cake, then pan-fried until crispy on the outside.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 8 servings
- 600g Daikon radish (Chinese turnip), peeled and grated
- 1 1/2 cups regular rice flour (NOT glutinous)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 Chinese sausages (Lap Cheong), finely diced
- 3 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked and finely minced
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and finely diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- Oil for pan-frying
Equipment
- Large steamer
- 8x8 inch cake pan or loaf pan
- Wok
Instructions
- 1
Cook Radish
In a wok, cook the grated daikon radish with its own juices over medium heat for 10 minutes until it softens and turns translucent. Do not drain the liquid.
- 2
Fry Aromatics
In a separate pan, sauté the diced Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms until fragrant and the fat from the sausage renders out.
- 3
Make Batter
In a large bowl, whisk the rice flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, white pepper, and 1.5 cups of water until completely smooth.
- 4
Combine
Pour the hot cooked radish (and its liquid) and the fried aromatics into the rice flour batter. Stir well. The heat from the radish will partially cook and thicken the batter.
- 5
Prepare Pan
Grease an 8x8 inch cake pan (or line it with parchment paper).
- 6
Pour and Smooth
Pour the thick batter into the pan. Use a wet spatula to smooth the top perfectly flat.
- 7
Steam
Place the pan in a steamer over rapidly boiling water. Cover and steam for 45-50 minutes.
- 8
Test Doneness
Insert a chopstick into the center. It should come out clean. The cake will be firm but slightly bouncy.
- 9
Cool Completely
This is crucial: Let the cake cool completely in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight) so it firms up enough to slice.
- 10
Slice
Turn the firm cake out of the pan and cut it into 1/2-inch thick rectangular slices.
- 11
Pan-fry
Heat oil in a flat pan. Fry the slices over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden brown and crispy.
- 12
Serve
Serve immediately with a side of hoisin sauce or chili garlic sauce.
Cooking Tips
- The English name 'Turnip Cake' is a misnomer; it is always made with Daikon radish (white radish), never actual turnips.
- If you try to slice and fry the cake immediately after steaming, it will turn into mush. It MUST chill and set in the fridge first.
Variations
- Taro Cake (Wu Gok): A very similar dim sum dish made using grated taro root instead of radish, resulting in a denser, earthier cake.
Nutrition Estimate
180 calories · 5g protein · 28g carbs · 6g fat · 2g fiber per serving
