Chinese Turnip Cake

Chinese Turnip cake or lo bak go (蘿蔔糕) is a traditional Chinese dim sum dish. This is a simple and easy Chinese pan fried radish cake or turnip cake recipe that use instant pot pressure cooker.

Love dim sum recipes? Also, check out these congee with pork and century egg, custard bun, cheung fun and lo mai gai recipes.

What is Chinese turnip cake (蘿蔔糕)?

Turnip cake is a traditional Chinese dim sum dish and Chinese New Year food. Also, pan fried turnip cake often serves in Chinese dim sum restaurants for breakfast.

Besides, turnip cake is mainly made from radish and rice flour. It also called radish cake, white carrot cake or in Chinese named lo bak go (蘿蔔糕).

Why people like to make white carrot cake during Chinese New Year?

White carrot cake is a tradition Chinese New Year food, especially in the southern part of China because the word radish in Chinese sounds like good fortune.

Therefore, Chinese people like to make turnip cake during Chinese New Year celebration and hope for good fortune will come.

What is Chinese turnip cake made of?

The ingredients are radish, rice flour, Chinese sausage, dried scallop and dried small shrimp. Some people like to add dried Chinese mushrooms as well.

How to make lo bak go?

There are so many different ways to make lo bak go or radish cake. Hong Kong people like to stir fried shredded radish, rice flour mixture until it is thicken and steam them. It’s quite a work.

However, in my father’s village in China. People like to mix the shredded radish and rice flour mixture. Then, they steam the mixture directly because it retains more nutrients and easier.

Personally, I like the simple and easy way. Besides, it normally takes around 45 minutes to an hour to steam them. But, this time I used instant pot pressure cooker to make this lo bak go dim sum dish.

Cooking tips for instant pot lo bak go recipe:

• Shred radish (white carrot). I like to shred the radish fine and small. Some like to mix with small and little chunks.
• Add salt and wait for 15-20 minutes to let the radish juice come out. After that, add rice flour and mix well.
• Sometime it’s hard to gauge how much radish and rice flour to use. The best is to use 1:3 ratio, 1 cup of rice flour and 3 cups of shredded radish.
• Add some small dried shrimp, dried scallops, Chinese sausage, and remember to save some for topping.
• Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour into a glass container. Next, put the mixture into instant pot pressure cooker manual for 25 minuets and natural release.
• It’s easier to cut turnip cake after it’s refrigerated.

FAQs:

How to eat lo bak go?

You can serve lo bak go after it cools down or still warm. Most people like pan fried turnip cake because it’s crispy outside. Normally, I like to pan fried lo bak go when I have leftover.

What sauce can you serve with radish cake?

Radish cake is the best to serve with hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, peanut butter sauce or XO sauce.

Instructions for how to make instant pot turnip cake:

1. Wash and soak dried small shrimp for 5-10 minutes

2. Wash and soak dried scallops for 5-10 minutes

3. Cut and diced Chinese sausage

4. While is waiting, shred radish, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of  vegetable oil. Then, wait for 15-20 minutes and let radish juice come out.

5. After that, add 1 cup of rice flour and mix it well

6. Next, add some dried shrimp, scallops and Chinese sausage. Also, remember to save some for the topping and mix it well.

7. Pour a cup of water into instant pot and add a rack

8. Pour the mixture into a glass container and topping the rest dried shrimp, scallops and Chinese sausage.

9. Put the mixture into instant pot, cover the lid and close the vent. Next, press manual button to adjust time for 25 minutes and nature release.

10. After the turnip cake is cool down, sliced into pieces.

11. Pour some oil into non-stick pan, turn on medium fire to pan fried both side until it's little golden brown.

12. Enjoy this pan fried dim sum lo bak go turnip cake instant pot recipe! Also, check out these sticky rice dumpling,  nian gao and soy sauce noodles recipes.

You May Also Like These Instant Pot Recipes:

• LO MAI GAI (糯米雞)
• CURRY FISH BALL AND RADISH (咖喱魚蛋蘿蔔)
• SOY SAUCE CHICKEN (豉油雞)
• BAKED PORK CHOPS AND RICE –HONG KONG STYLE (港式豬扒焗飯)

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