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 fry radish cake or turnip cake recipe that uses an instant pot pressure cooker.
Love dim sum recipes? Also, check out these siu mai, congee with pork and century egg, custard bun, cheung fun, soy sauce noodles, scallion pancake 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 is often served 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 do people like to make white carrot cake during Chinese New Year?
White carrot cake is a traditional 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 cakes 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 fry shredded radish, rice flour mixture until it thickens 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 an 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.
- Sometimes it’s hard to gauge how much radish and rice flour to use. The best is to use a 1:3 ratio, 1 cup of rice flour and 3 cups of shredded radish (include the liquid) .
- 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 an instant pot pressure cooker manual for 25 minutes and natural release.
- It’s easier to cut turnip cake after it’s refrigerated.
FAQs:
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 fry lo bak go when I have leftovers.
Radish cake is best to serve with hoisin sauce, chili oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, peanut butter sauce or XO sauce.
Instructions for how to make instant pot turnip cake:
- Wash and soak ⅓ cup of dried small shrimp for 5-10 minutes.
2. Wash and soak ⅓ cup of dried scallops for 5-10 minutes.
3. Cut and diced 1 piece of Chinese sausage.
4. While waiting, shred 1 big piece of radish or white carrot. It's around 3 cups shredded radish, add ¼ 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 an instant pot and add a rack.
8. Pour the mixture into a glass container and top with the rest of the dried shrimp, scallops and Chinese sausage.
9. Put the mixture into an instant pot, cover the lid and close the vent. Next, press the manual button to adjust time for 25 minutes at high pressure and nature release.
10. After the turnip cake cools down, slice it into pieces.
11. Pour ½ tablespoons of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan, turn on medium fire to pan fry both sides until it's a little golden brown.
Enjoy this pan fried dim sum lo bak go or turnip cake instant pot recipe! Also, check out these sticky rice dumpling, nian gao and soy sauce noodle 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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Turnip Cake
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Video
Ingredients
- 1 big piece Radish (White carrot) (shredded around 3 cups)
- 1 cup Rice flour
- ⅓ cup Dried shrimp small
- ⅓ cup Dried scallops
- 1 piece Chinese sausage
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil (Add to the shredded radish)
- 1 stick Green onion (For topping and decoration optional)
- ½ tablespoon Vegetable oil (For pan fry lo bak go)
Instructions
- Wash and soak ⅓ cup of dried small shrimp for 5-10 minutes.
- Wash and soak ⅓ cup of dried scallops for 5-10 minutes.
- Cut and diced 1 piece of Chinese sausage.
- While waiting, shred 1 big piece of radish or white carrot. It's around 3 cups shredded radish, add ¼ teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Then, wait for 15-20 minutes and let radish juice come out.
- After that, add 1 cup of rice flour and mix it well.
- Next, add some dried shrimp, scallops and Chinese sausage. Also, remember to save some for the topping and mix it well.
- Pour a cup of water into an instant pot and add a rack.
- Pour the mixture into a glass container and top with the rest of the dried shrimp, scallops and Chinese sausage.
- Put the mixture into an instant pot, cover the lid and close the vent. Next, press the manual button to adjust time for 25 minutes at high pressure and nature release.
- After the turnip cake cools down, slice it into pieces.
- Pour ½ tablespoons of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan, turn on medium fire to pan fry both sides until it's a little golden brown.
Notes
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.
- Sometimes it’s hard to gauge how much radish and rice flour to use. The best is to use a 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 an instant pot pressure cooker manual for 25 minutes and natural release.
- It’s easier to cut turnip cake after it’s refrigerated.
Rena
Please let me know approximately how heavy your white radish （daikon) for the recipe to help me follow your recipe better. Thank you!
Tracy O.
Hi Rena,
Thank you for your question. I wasn't paying attention to the record of the weight when I did the recipe because I use the ratio 1:3. 1 cup of rice flour : 3 cups of shredded radish with the liquid. However, I estimate the weight of the daikon to be around 465g-500g. I will try to do it again and record the weight and update the post.
Thank you!
K Lee
Hello, Thank you for the recipe! After you let out the juice from the radish, do you discard it, or mix it all together with the flour (steps 4 and 5)? I can't wait to try this for CNY!
Tracy O.
I use the juice from the radish and mix it with the flour. The ratio is 1:3. 1 cup of rice flour : 3 cups of shredded radish with juice/liquid.