Loh bak goh / turnip cake

I made this by frying some cubed turnip cake and added a teaspoon of XO sauce and 1/2 tsp chili sauce .
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My winter won't be complete without making turnip cake .

Though it's a tad time-consuming to make , imagine grating more than a kilo of turnip ?

Using the food processor can really help do the job but mine is inside the darkest corner of our cabinet so elbow grease was use . lol

Turnip cake is popular during Chinese New Year but you can order it all-year round in Chinese restaurant as it is commonly served during yum cha ( a Chinese-style morning or afternoon tea ) .

The mixture is steamed first , then cut into a square slices and pan-fried or I've tried the one that is double steamed or so I thought , don't really know how they cooked that one ....

It is really easy to make er except the grating part and really tastes delicious er I just love it .

This is the best turnip cake I've ever made yet , okay , that's according to me ^___^''

Best served with chili sauce or hoisin sauce and a cup or three of coffee or tea .

1450 grams ( peeled weight ) turnip/radish
225 grams rice flour
80 grams tapioca flour
2 pieces / 95 grams  Chinese sausage , cut into small pieces
3 dried mushroom , soaked then diced
50 grams dried shrimp , soaked and coarsely chopped
2 shallots , about 50 grams , sliced thinly
2 teaspoons XO sauce , optional
1 tsp chicken powder
1/4 tsp five spice powder
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp coarse salt
a generous dash of ground white pepper
1 tbsp diced spring onion plus extra for garnish
1 1/2 cups turnip/radish juice ( from the drained grated turnip/radish )
1/4 cup water

* Wash , peel , rinse and grate turnip , drain in a colander with a bowl under it to collect the juice , reserved juice . I drained the radish for 30 minutes and got 1 1/2 cups radish juice .
* Combine rice flour and tapioca  flour , add the radish juice and water gradually , whisking the mixture as you pour .
* In a wok or a large pan , heat some oil , add shallots , sausage and mushroom , cook for 2 or 3 minutes then add in the grated radish , stir well to combine . Add the XO sauce , brown sugar , salt , white pepper , chicken powder and five spice powder , stir well and cook for a minute or so , adjust taste then add the spring onion . Turn off heat , add in the flour mixture and mix well . Pour mixture in lightly oiled 9-inch cake pan . Steam on medium high heat for an hour . Let cool completely before removing from the pan . Garnish some diced spring onion on top . Slice and fry , serve hot .


This post is linked to the blog hop event Chinese New Year Delight 2013 hosted by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover


This is the second time that I've made this chili sauce . It's Martin Yan's recipe from his Martin Yan's China  book . I can't remember the exact instruction on how to make it the second time around as I've forgotten to copy the whole recipe . Some of the instruction is how I've done it  ^___^ ''

1 cup dried chilies
1 1/2 cup boiling water , divided
1/4 cup dried shrimp
1/3 cup peanut oil ( add more , if prefer )
1/4 shallots , finely chopped
1 tablespoon Smithfield ham ( I used 1 tbsp XO sauce )
 1 tsp sugar ( 1 tbsp raw brown sugar )

* Rinse chilies and shrimp . Place chilies in a bowl and add 1 cup of boiling water ; place shrimp in another bowl and add in remaining boiling water , soak both for 30 minutes . Drain well and reserve soaking water .
* Heat wok or a pan , add a little bit oil and stir fry shallots until soft , add in the chilies and the  shrimp , cook until fragrant . Transfer to a mini food processor and add in some of the soaking water , process until smooth or in my case , not too smooth . Pour back in the same pan and add the remaining soaking water and cook until all the liquid evaporates , add in the ham and sugar and adjust taste . Pour in the peanut oil and stir well to combine and simmer for 2 minutes more . Let cool and store in an airtight container .

Comments

  1. This is must have during CNY. Delicious!

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  2. Anne, this is my favourite snack! Your loh bak goh looks very delicious. Can I order from you? :D

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  3. Ooh my! I'm drooling already! I love this! The last time I made this was ages ago, when I harvested my radish from my garden, it was not enough, so I bought more radish from the market to add on. My family's favourite! Love it! I could finish the whole tray myself for both lunch and dinner! Seriously! We love to dip the fried radish with our favourite chili sauce, "Lingam Thai Chili Sauce", awesome!
    I love the first pic, make me wanna pick each piece right into my mouth! Look so delicious!

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  4. Hi Anne, you turnip cake look mouthwatering. Well done! I love the pan fry version. :)

    Best regards.

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  5. Yum! I miss this so much...we don't have turnip here... So, will you please eat extra 3 for me? ;P

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  6. Hi Anne,

    Grating kilograms of turnips by hand is simply no joke... I wonder how my grandma survive doing this in the days without food processor :p

    We are lucky that we have lots of tools (also know as toys - LOL!) to help us!

    Your turnip cake looks great! You should make more since you have a processor - LOL!

    Zoe

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    1. Zoe , my quota for making turnip cake is only one per year so no more cake during CNY ! lol This time though since I really like how this cake turned out , I may persuade myself to make another batch or two :D

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  7. I've never heard of this dish, Anne, but if you like it, I bet I'll like it, too :)

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  8. Hi Anne, this looks delish! My grandmother used to make this. I have never acquired her skills but I shall try my hand at it sometime.

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  9. Wow Anne! This is one of the must-order item whenever I go Yum-Char. Looks like staying in Hong Kong has greatly influenced your cooking too!

    May I suggest my favourite fried shallots in addition to the green spring onion for the toppings. :)

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  10. there's XO sauce! Mmmm..must be super delicious! usually i will make some loh bak goh for cny too:)

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  11. Hi Anne, I dont really like turnip cake but yours look so good, Im so tempted to try it!

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  12. hmmm i have never had turnip cake! it sounds delicious. i love the texture of steamed things...i bet frying it after makes it even better! do i have the guts to try this?? do i have the wrist strength? (i don't have a food processor!) :)

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  13. This sounds very interesting. I have never heard of a turnip cake before, but you make it look fantastic!

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  14. I am looking for Print option? Have I gone blind or is it not there?
    Your turnip cake looks and sounds delicious!
    Can I use fresh cooked shrimps?

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    1. Bal , I've just added the print this button at the bottom of the post . I can't find a print this button where you just can print the recipe only for Blogger blog :P The one I've just installed , there's this " click to delete " so that you can delete some unnecassary parts :D

      I think it's okay to use fresh shrimp though not as flavorful as dried ;D

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  15. I LOVE turnip cakes...one of my absolute favorites at dim sum! :)

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  16. Hi Anne,
    This is one of my favourite when i go yum cha.
    I like the pan fried version.

    Oh wow!! yours looks great in both version.
    Can pass some to me?..:p
    mui

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