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Lo Bak Go on a plate with chopsticks.
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Lo Bak Go (Chinese Turnip Cake 萝白糕)

Lo Bak Go is a classic dim sum favorite! Aunty's recipe is perfectly balanced with Chinese sausages, shrimp and mushrooms.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 5 minutes
Flour Mixture Resting Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Snack
Cuisine: Asian, Cantonese, Chinese
Servings: 8
Calories: 360kcal
Author: Jeannette

Equipment

  • Cheese grater/Mandolin (or any utensil to cut the daikon into strips)
  • Steam-safe dish
  • Spatula (to help with pressing the mixture into the dish)
  • Steamer
  • Foil

Ingredients

For The Cake

  • 1 kg / 2.2 lb daikon radish
  • 350 g / 2.17 US cup rice flour
  • 50 g / 0.41 US cup tapioca starch (we get it from the Asian supermarket)
  • 50 g / 0.41 US cup wheat starch (we get it from the Asian supermarket)
  • 50 g / 0.41 US cup corn starch (we get it from the Asian supermarket)
  • 3 tbsp oil (2 tbsp for the cake mixture and 1 tbsp for cooking the toppings. Include more for coating the steam-safe dish)
  • 1200 mL / 5.07 US cup warm water (for the flour mixture)
  • 2 L / 8/45 US cup water (for blanching)

For The Toppings

  • 2 Chinese sausage (steamed or soaked in hot water for 20 minutes)
  • 1/2 US cup dehydrated shrimp (rehydrated)
  • 3/4 US cup dehydrated shiitake mushroom (rehydrated)

Instructions

  • Use a cheese grater/mandolin/knife to cut the daikon into thin strips.
  • Bring 2L of water to a boil and add the sugar in.
  • Quickly blanch the daikon strips for 30 seconds to help remove the odor.
  • Pour the contents into a colander to let it drip dry.
  • Meanwhile, combine the rice flour, tapioca starch, wheat starch, corn starch, chicken bouillon powder and salt in a bowl. Mix them together, then pour half of the warm water in while slowly mixing.
  • Stir well until combined into a wet mixture, then mix in 2 tbsp of oil. Let it rest for 20 minutes for the flour to rise.
  • While the mixture is resting, dice the shiitake mushrooms and Chinese sausages about 1/2cm (0.8") wide. You can cut them bigger if you prefer.
  • Heat up a pan on high heat and add 1 tbsp of oil. When hot, pour in the shrimp and toss for 30 seconds. Then throw in the chopped Chinese sausages to cook for another 30 seconds before adding in the mushrooms for another 30 seconds.
    Transfer the contents onto a plate to cool while you work on the cake.
  • After the 20 minutes of resting, pour the remaining warm water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to the lowest heat and add the daikon strips in to cook for 3 minutes or until soft.
  • Turn the heat off, then pour the flour mixture in. Stir everything until combined and add the diced shiitake mushrooms and Chinese sausages. Mix well.
  • Line a deep steam-safe dish with a light layer of oil, then fill the dish 3/4 full with the Lo Bak Go mixture. Cover the dish with foil to prevent water drops from dripping onto the surface as it steams.
    Note: We used 2 round metal dishes roughly 20cm (8") in diameter, but Aunty had a rectangular dish with the dimensions 10 x 25 cm (4" x 10"). You can also use disposable foil or plastic containers.
    Pro Tip: Use an oiled spatular to smooth out the surface.
  • Set your steamer up on high heat, then when it's ready, place the dish in to steam for 1 hour or until cooked.
  • Take the cooked Chinese Turnip Cake out and let it rest for 30 minutes. Alternatively, once cooled, keep it in the fridge overnight to completely firm up.
  • Cut the Chinese Turnip Cake into rectangular prisms to the size of your preference.

Serving Suggestions

  • You can enjoy your Chinese Turnip Cake as is after resting from being steamed, however it's also commonly served pan fried until just crispy on the outside.
  • Simply cut it into pieces and fry each piece in some oil.
  • Eat as is or dip it in red vinegar, soy sauce, chili sauce and/or XO sauce!

Notes

  • Save yourself from clumps. Make sure the flour is mixed in well with the daikon on the lowest heat setting, otherwise the heat will cook the flour and quickly form clumps. These become difficult to remove.
  • Press down the air bubbles. When putting the mixture into the steam-safe dish, use an oiled spatula to press everything down so there are no gaps as it steams.
  • Reserve some shrimp and chopped Chinese sausages. For presentation purposes, you can press a few pieces into the surface before the dish has been steamed.
  • Aunty recommends using warm water for the flour mixture because it helps with activating the starches. We simply boil some water and combine it with cold water for a 70:30 or 60:40 ratio in favor of cold water.
  • Use as much or as little of the toppings as you like. To make the dish vegetarian, omit the Chinese sausages and shrimp.
  • All of the toppings come dehydrated. You can rehydrate the mushrooms and shrimp for a minimum of 20 minutes in hot water or overnight in cool water.
  • For the sausages, Aunty likes to steam them so they're softer and easier to work with. At home, we simply run them under hot water and let them soak for 20 minutes.
  • If you find that your shrimp is on the larger side, you can roughly chop them into smaller pieces.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 603mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg