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Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go, 蘿蔔糕)

Turnip cake is a popular dim sum dish. This recipe is extra flavorful with lots of daikon, dried shrimp, shiitake mushroom, and fried shallot.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Cantonese, Chinese
Keyword: chinese turnip cake, lo bak go, turnip cake, turnip cake recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 138kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 daikon radish 567 g grated
  • 1 tbsp dried shrimp 10 g
  • 4 shiitake mushrooms 20g
  • 3 tbsp fried shallot

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups rice flour 130 g
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch 8 g
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Instructions

  • Reconstitute the dried shrimp and shiitake mushrooms in some water until softened. Squeeze out and reserve the excess water. Chop the mushroom into small cubes. Note 1
  • Grate the turnip and add it to a wok or large pot. Add just enough water so that the turnip is almost covered (1-2 cups). Boil the turnip for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to cook evenly.
  • Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Measure the liquid reserved from the mushrooms/shrimps and add enough water from boiling the turnip for a total of 1 cup of liquid. Add it to the dry ingredients.
  • Drain out the rest of the turnip cooking liquid and add the cooked turnip to the mixing bowl.
  • Dry your wok/pot and place it over medium heat. Add some oil. Add the shrimp, mushrooms, and shallots. Stir fry for a few minutes until golden brown and fragrant.
  • Add the cooked shrimp, mushroom, and shallots to the mixing bowl. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan or glass container. Place the pan into a steamer and steam for 50 minutes.
  • Remove and let the turnip cake cool before taking it out of the container. Slice and pan-fry over medium heat for a few minutes on each side. Refrigerate or freeze the leftovers. Note 2

Notes

  1. Reconstituting whole shittake mushrooms can take up to several hours. If you are in a rush, use warm/hot water to reconstitute the mushrooms quicker. Also, if you are using the paper dried shrimp like I am using, you do not need to reconstitute them.
  2. You can freeze the turnip cake whole or pre-sliced. Note that the turnip cake will get much softer after freezing.