Chinese Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go)

Soak dried ingredients: Rinse the shiitake mushrooms and dried prawns separately with tap water and gently rub them to remove any dirt. Place each ingredient into a different bowl. Add warm water to cover. Soak for 15 minutes, or until the ingredients turn soft. Drain thoroughly. Dice mushroom cap into 1/4” pieces and mince the prawns.

Cook the filling: Add the Chinese sausage into a large nonstick frying pan and heat it over medium heat. Cook from a cold pan and turn to medium-low heat once the sausage starts to sizzle. Cook until the sausage is lightly browned and some oil is rendered off, 5 minutes or so. Transfer the sausage to a bowl and reserve the rendered fat. Add the shiitake mushrooms and dried prawns. Cook and stir until lightly charred. Transfer to the same bowl with the sausage.

Cook the daikon: Add the daikon radish and 1 cup of water into the same frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat until simmering. Cover, simmer over medium-low heat until the daikon is soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.

Create the batter: Strain the cooked radish over a colander, pressing out as much liquid as you can into a big bowl or measuring cup. Measure out 1 cup of liquid, pour into a large bowl. Add rice flour, sugar, salt and white pepper. Stir to mix well until forming a very runny batter. Add back the radish and mix again.

Cook the batter: Transfer the radish mixture to a large, clean nonstick frying pan. Cook over medium-low heat and stir constantly, until the mixture has slightly thickened. When you stir the mixture, the radish should be able to form a clump without looking too runny. Stir in the cooked filling.

Assemble: Prepare 1 to 2 glass tupperware or baking dishes that can fit into your steamer. You can use two 4.5” x 4.5” (11cm x 11 cm) tupperware dishes to cook two batches. If you have a large wok or steamer, you might be able to fit a 5” x 9” (13cm x 23cm) loaf pan or 7”x7” (20cm x 20cm) baking pan (*Footnote 3). You’ll only need to cook one batch in this case. If you’ll be cooking in two batches, cover the uncooked batter with cling film to prevent it from drying out. Grease the glass tupperware with oil. Transfer the mixture into the tupperware.

Steam: Set up your steamer by adding plenty of water and bringing it to a boil (*Footnote 4). Add the steaming rack with the turnip cake container. Steam over medium-high heat for 50 to 60 minutes until the turnip cake is cooked through. Test the doneness by inserting a knife into the cake and it should come out clean.

Rest: Remove the steamed turnip cake and set it aside to cool. Once the container is no longer hot, transfer it to the fridge. Let the turnip cake set until it has cooled completely. (*Footnote 5)

Release: Use a knife to loosen the edges from the container, then turn the container upside down. The turnip cake should come out in one piece.

Serve: Cut the turnip cake into 1/4” (1 cm) thick pieces. Heat a frying pan coated with a thin layer of oil, cook both sides over medium or medium low heat until heated through and the surface turns golden. Garnish with sliced spring onions if using. Serve with soy sauce and chilli garlic sauce, if desired.

Store: Transfer the steamed turnip cakes (without pan-frying) into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, thaw the frozen turnip cakes first, and pan fry them before serving.