Lo bak go, or turnip cakes are some of the most popular elements of dim sum.
Western-style turnips are not used, but rather Chinese turnip (lo bak) or daikon.
Lo bak go is commonly served in yum cha (modern Cantonese-style lunch), usually cut into rectangular slices and sometimes pan-fried before serving.
Each pan-fried cake has a thin crispy layer on the outside from frying, while the inside is soft.
It is also commonly consumed during Chinese New Year because the word for radish (菜頭; chhài-thâu) is a homophone for “good luck” (好彩頭; hó-chhái-thâu) in the Hokkien language.
In Taiwan, it is also part of breakfast.
Other ingredients can be added to provide umami flavor, such as:
• Dried shrimp
• Dried Shiitake mushrooms
• Lap Cheong (Chinese sausage)
• Lap yuk (Chinese bacon)
Steamed it is often then pan-fried before serving or transformed into the dish chai tow kway.
Ingredients
- 1.3 lbs Chinese turnip (or daikon)
- 1 Chinese sausage (lap cheong)
- 5.3 oz Chinese bacon (lap yuk)
- 5 Shiitake mushrooms
- 12 dried shrimp
- 1 scallion
- 1.5 cups rice flour
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- to taste white pepper
- to taste salt
- to taste sesame oil
Tools
I used the Magic Cooker, the magical lid for steaming, distributing the mixture in a pan and cooking with the lid on for 1 minute on high heat and 50 minutes on low heat.
Steps
Rehydrate the dried mushrooms and shrimp in water.
Cut the Chinese sausage, bacon, and scallion.
Peel and chop the turnip.
In a wok, add a dash of sesame oil, then the mushrooms and shrimp, scallion, sausage, and bacon.
Add the turnip.
Mix the rice flour with the cornstarch and 2 cups of water. Add to the mixture.
Adjust with salt and white pepper.
Steam for 50 minutes by pouring the mixture into a baking pan.
Let it rest for at least 20 minutes.
Cut, brown in a pan with some oil, and serve.
FAQ
What is Chinese sausage?
Chinese sausage is a generic term referring to the different types of sausages from China.
The southern one is commonly known as lap cheong (or lap chong) in Cantonese.
There is a choice of fatty or lean sausages. There are several types, from those made with fresh pork meat to those made with pork liver, duck liver, and even turkey liver. A sausage made with liver usually has a darker color than one made without liver.
Recently, countries have also started producing chicken Chinese sausages.
Used as an ingredient in numerous dishes in the southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Hunan, as well as in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The Sichuan type also contains red chili powder, Sichuan pepper powder, and Pixian bean paste, to give the sausage a special flavor.
Two common examples of dishes include fried rice and lo mai gai (糯米鸡).
