Easy Turnip Cake (Dimsum Style!)

Radish Cake, aka Turnip Cake aka Chinese Lo Bak Go, is a MUST ORDER dish when you eat dim sum, but did you know it is super easy to make at home? My family has been making Turnip cakes at home for the past 10 years, and it is a staple breakfast dish that we have every week. The best part of homemade Turnip cake? You can load up on any additional toppings you want and taste the daikon rather than store-bought turnip cake filled with mostly rice flour mixture. 

I am using Chinese Sausages as my topping today, but I also love it with shiitake mushrooms for vegetarian alternatives or dehydrated shrimp. Turnip cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, so my mom always made it on Saturday, and we would have turnip cakes for the rest of the week! I love to pan fry mine to get the extra crispiness on the edges just like Dim Sum restaurants and serve it with a side of vegetarian oyster sauce. 

Here are a few tips to help: 

Grate daikon with the largest box grater to get the best texture. By using a box, the grater will also ensure that everything is cooking equally  

Mix Rice flour mixture and water till it is a smooth consistency, make sure there are no lumps as it will be harder to break these lumps apart once it is in the pot. 

Once you add in the rice flour and water mixture into the pot, make sure to work quickly; it will become thick fast, so keep stirring until it gets to the consistency you see in the image. Turn off the heat and then fold in the sausages.

Ingredients 

2.5 lb of Chinese Turnip/Daikon 

1 tbsp of Dashi Powder/Chicken Powder 

2 tbsp of Oil 

6 Chinese Sausages 

2 cups of Water 

400g of Rice Flour 

Dipping: Oyster Sauce OR Vegetarian Oyster Sauce 

1. In a pot, grate Daikon with a box grater and add in 1 tbsp of Dashi Powder and 2 tbsp of Oil. Mix until everything is combined 
2. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring it to a simmer; let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. 
3. In a cup, mix 400g of rice flour and 2 cups of water, mix till it becomes a smooth consistency. 
4. Chop up 6 Chinese sausages and saute it in medium-high heat for 2-3minutes or until fragrant 
5. Pour in the rice flour and water mixture into the pot and stir for 2-3 minutes until it becomes a thicker consistency and fold in the Chinese sausages. 
6. Oil a pan to prevent the daikon from sticking, and transfer the daikon into the pan. Add a little bit of oil on the top and smooth out the top.
7. Steam the turnip cake for 45 minutes and let it cool down for 1-2 hours, making it easier to cut. 
8. Once it is cooled down, flip over the turnip cake, it should slip out easily and cut into serving portions. 
9. Pan try the turnip cake in oil for 3-4 minutes or until it gets crispy on both sides. Serve by drizzling oyster sauce and garnish with green onion.