Sliced turnip cake on serving dish
WRITTEN BY
SERVES:
4 as a side
Prep Time:
1.5 hours plus 12 hours setting time
Cook Time:
15 minutes

Lo bak go, also known as Turnip Cake, is a popular Chinese dish commonly enjoyed during the Lunar New Year. It's typically made from grated daikon, but true to form we've gone a bit wonky with our recipe and used turnips which work just as well, along with some shredded carrots.

The vegetable mixture is steamed to form a firm cake, which is then cooled, sliced and pan-fried until crispy. Lo bak go offers a delightful combination of textures and a savory taste, making it a beloved comfort food in Chinese cuisine.

Like all good things, these vegetarian savoury cakes do take a bit of time and and need to be made the night before, so they can set in the fridge overnight. When the time comes, simply fry the cakes until crisp, garnish with spring onion and chili and enjoy as a side dish or starter.

For a full feast, enjoy this Turnip Cake alongside dumplings, bao buns or stirfried meats or greens, like our Garlic Bok Choy Stirfry.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 400g turnip or daikon
  • 200g carrot 
  • 4 green onions 
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 300ml vegetable stock 
  • 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce 
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce 
  • 220g rice flour 
  • 300ml water
  • ¼ tsp paprika 
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp chili oil (optional) 
  • Oil for cooking

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Remove the root from the turnip, then grate the turnip and the carrots (including the skin)
  2. Finely slice 3 green onions and mince the garlic 
  3. Heat a large frying pan with 1 Tbsp oil. Add the green onions and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Then add the grated carrots and turnip to the pan and sauté for a further 5-6 minutes, stirring often. 
  4. Stir in the hoisin and soy sauce, then mix in the vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and cover with a lid, simmer for 10 minutes. 
  5. Meanwhile in a bowl combine the rice flour, garlic powder, paprika and sugar. Pour in the water and mix until smooth. 
  6. Remove the turnip and carrot mixture from the heat and drain the excess liquid from the pan. Add the drained carrot and turnip mixture into the rice flour batter. Mix until well combined. 
  7. Transfer the mixture into a lined cake tin.
  8. Steam your cake: Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Place a steamer on top, then place the cake tin inside the steamer and cover with a lid. Steam for 1 hour.
  9. If you do not have a steamer, you can place a rack inside a large deep pot. Add water up to the level of the wire rack. Place the cake tin on top of the wire rack and cover the pot with a lid. If you are using this method, keep an eye on the pot to ensure the water doesn’t evaporate and top up the boiling water at intervals. Steam for 1 hour.
  10. Carefully remove the cake tin from the steamer and set aside to cool. Once cooled, transfer to the fridge to set overnight. 
  11. Once ready to serve, remove the turnip cake from the tin and slice into 20 rectangular pieces. 
  12. Heat a large frying pan with 1.5 Tbsp oil. Fry the Turnip cake slices in batches on either side for 2 minutes until crispy and slightly browned. 
  13. Slice remaining green onion.
  14. Transfer cakes to a serving dish and garnish with sliced green onion and chili oil.
wonkybox

Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go)

Take your turnips or daikon to the next level with this vegetarian Chinese Turnip Cake recipe, a traditional dim sum dish that symbolishes reaching new heights.
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