It's nearly that time of the year again !
I really need to start my spring cleaning .......
Chinese around the world are busy preparing for their most important festival , the Chinese New Year which will start on January 28th . Mention Chinese New Year and what immediately comes to mind is food ! Okay , lai-see packets as well lol
Many foods consumed during Chinese New Year are symbolic . Loh bak goh , Cantonese for steamed turnip cake or pudding is an auspicious food which symbolizes good fortune , a must-have in most Cantonese households during this festival . Basically made with grated radish / turnip , rice flour and Chinese sausages , mixture is steamed then serve pan-fried .
Making this yum cha staple is pretty easy but grating the radish takes patience . As I love to eat it during the winter season , grating more than a kilo of turnip / radish is like a walk in the park or library to me hee hee !
If you want to try it , make the half recipe I listed below , you can adjust the seasoning according to preference . The trick to make it easy to unmould the cake / pudding especially if you using an aluminium cake pan is to grease it generously with oil , if using a 6-inch pan , use about 2 teaspoons of oil .
I fried the steamed cake/ pudding 2 ways - the first one is the usual way , cut into squares and pan-fried both sides until golden brown . The other version is to cut the cake into small cubes , pan-fried until brown and crispy then XO sauce is added . XO sauce is a condiment made from dried seafoods like scallops , shrimps and fish and usually use for stir fry dishes .
Recipe adapted from 必學的中西節日美食 = Festive delicacies / [黎楊惠玲作].
黎楊惠玲
Grease one 22-cm square tin ( with 2-inch height ) or two 20 x 10-cm loaf tins or one 22-cm round tin ( with 3-inch height ) or two 15-cm round tins
1.2 kg turnip / radish
3 ( 120 grams ) Chinese sausages
30 grams dried shrimps
5 dried mushrooms
1 tablespoon ginger juice ( squeezed from about 40 grams grated fresh ginger )
1 tablespoon Chinese wine
300 grams rice flour
40 grams wheat flour
800 ml water ( including juice from drained grated turnip ) divided
Seasoning :
3 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Garnishes :
1 stalk coriander
1 stalk spring onion
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
* Soak dried shrimps and dried mushrooms until soft , cut into small dices . Rinse and steam Chinese sausages over high heat for 5 minutes , let cool down a bit before cutting into small dices . Wash and dice spring onions and coriander .
* Wash , peel and grate turnip . Strain the juice and add water to make 400 ml , set aside .
* Sift rice flour and wheat flour in a mixing bowl and add in 400 ml water , mix until batter is lump-free and smooth .
* In a large pan , heat 1 tbsp oil , stir-fry diced sausages , mushrooms and shrimps . Transfer sausage mixture into the bowl with batter , stir to combine , set aside .
* In the same pan , add in the drained turnip and pour in the 400 ml turnip juice mixture , add in seasoning and cook , covered , for 5 to 8 minutes . Add in ginger juice and wine , mix well to combine , pour in the batter , mix and adjust taste , keep stirring until mixture thickens .
* Pour in the batter mixture into the greased tin(s) , smooth the top . Steam over high heat for 30-40 minutes . Take out from the wok and let cool down to room temperature ( it'll take several hours ) , ran a small knife gently around the sides of the pan and unmould the cake . Transfer into a serving plate , top with diced spring onions and coriander , sprinkle with sesame seeds . Cool turnip cake until firm .
* Cut into slices , pan-fry both sides until golden brown . Serve hot with chilli sauce or hoisin sauce .
* For fried turnip with XO sauce : Cut loh bak goh into 2 to 3-cm cubes , fry pieces until golden brown and the surface is crispy . Wipe off excess oil and add in 1 tbsp XO ( adjust amount according to preference and quantity of the pudding ) stir until pieces are evenly coated , add in some diced spring onion . Dish up and garnish with more diced spring onion and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds . Serve hot .
My half recipe : Makes one 6 x ( about ) 3-inch steamed cake
5 dried mushrooms
1 tablespoon ginger juice ( squeezed from about 40 grams grated fresh ginger )
1 tablespoon Chinese wine
300 grams rice flour
40 grams wheat flour
800 ml water ( including juice from drained grated turnip ) divided
Seasoning :
3 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Garnishes :
1 stalk coriander
1 stalk spring onion
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
* Soak dried shrimps and dried mushrooms until soft , cut into small dices . Rinse and steam Chinese sausages over high heat for 5 minutes , let cool down a bit before cutting into small dices . Wash and dice spring onions and coriander .
* Wash , peel and grate turnip . Strain the juice and add water to make 400 ml , set aside .
* Sift rice flour and wheat flour in a mixing bowl and add in 400 ml water , mix until batter is lump-free and smooth .
* In a large pan , heat 1 tbsp oil , stir-fry diced sausages , mushrooms and shrimps . Transfer sausage mixture into the bowl with batter , stir to combine , set aside .
* In the same pan , add in the drained turnip and pour in the 400 ml turnip juice mixture , add in seasoning and cook , covered , for 5 to 8 minutes . Add in ginger juice and wine , mix well to combine , pour in the batter , mix and adjust taste , keep stirring until mixture thickens .
* Pour in the batter mixture into the greased tin(s) , smooth the top . Steam over high heat for 30-40 minutes . Take out from the wok and let cool down to room temperature ( it'll take several hours ) , ran a small knife gently around the sides of the pan and unmould the cake . Transfer into a serving plate , top with diced spring onions and coriander , sprinkle with sesame seeds . Cool turnip cake until firm .
* Cut into slices , pan-fry both sides until golden brown . Serve hot with chilli sauce or hoisin sauce .
* For fried turnip with XO sauce : Cut loh bak goh into 2 to 3-cm cubes , fry pieces until golden brown and the surface is crispy . Wipe off excess oil and add in 1 tbsp XO ( adjust amount according to preference and quantity of the pudding ) stir until pieces are evenly coated , add in some diced spring onion . Dish up and garnish with more diced spring onion and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds . Serve hot .
My half recipe : Makes one 6 x ( about ) 3-inch steamed cake
588 grams ( peeled weight ) white turnip / radish
2 Chinese sausage
3 dried mushrooms
15 grams dried shrimps
2 teaspoons ginger juice
1 teaspoon Chinese wine
400 ml water ( radish juice included )
150 grams rice flour
20 grams wheat flour
Seasoning : 2 tsps raw sugar , 1/2 tsp sea salt , 1/2 tsp chicken powder , 1/2 tsp sesame oil and a generous dash of ground white pepper