Lo bak go, or the radish cakes, are some of the most popular elements of dim sum.
Western-style radishes are not used, but the Chinese radish (lo bak) or the 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, and is soft on the inside.
It is commonly consumed during Chinese New Year, as the word for radish (菜頭; chhài-thâu) is a homophone for “good fortune” (好彩頭; hó-chhái-thâu) in the Hokkien language.
In Taiwan, it is also part of breakfast.
It is possible to add other ingredients that provide the umami flavor, such as:
• Dried shrimp
• Dried Shiitake mushrooms
• Lap Cheong (Chinese sausage)
• Lap yuk (Chinese bacon)
Steamed often then pan-fried before being served or to be transformed into the dish chai tow kway.
Ingredients
- 1.3 lbs Chinese radish (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.
Chop the Chinese sausage, bacon, and scallion.
Peel and finely chop the radish.
In a wok, add a dash of sesame oil, then the mushrooms and shrimp, the scallion, sausage, and bacon.
Add the radish.
Mix the rice flour with the cornstarch and 2 cups of water. Add to the mixture.
Season with salt and white pepper.
Steam for 50 minutes by pouring the mixture into a baking dish.
Let rest for at least 20 minutes.
Cut, brown in a pan with some oil, and serve.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is Chinese sausage?
Chinese sausage is a generic term referring to the various types of sausages originating in China.
The southern type is commonly known by the Cantonese name lap cheong (or lap chong).
There is a choice of fatty or lean sausages. There are various types, from those made with fresh pork to those made with pork livers, duck livers, and even turkey livers. Usually, a sausage made with liver has a darker color than one made without liver.
Recently, some 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 sausage also contains red chili powder, Sichuan pepper powder, and Pixian bean paste, to characterize the sausage with a special flavor.
Two common examples of dishes include fried rice and lo mai gai (糯米雞).
