Turnip Cake: Pan-Fried Daikon Radish Cake (Lo Bak Go)

Turnip cake, known in Cantonese as lo bak go (蘿蔔糕), is a savoury cake made from shredded daikon radish and rice flour, usually studded with bits of Chinese sausage, dried shrimp and mushroom. It is steamed in a tray, left to set, then cut into thick slices and pan-fried. The result is a dim sum dish with two textures in one bite: a crackling golden crust and a soft, almost custardy middle that tastes gently sweet of radish.

Not actually a turnip

The name confuses many first-timers. The vegetable inside is daikon, the long white radish sold in every Asian grocery in Vancouver. In Cantonese, lo bak (蘿蔔) refers to radishes broadly, and early English translations settled on "turnip". The name has stayed on menus ever since, though some restaurants, ours included, now print "daikon radish cake" to be clear.

Daikon matters to the dish. Raw, it is crisp and peppery. Grated and cooked down, it turns mellow and releases a great deal of moisture, which is what keeps the finished cake tender. A good cook squeezes and cooks the radish carefully so the cake holds its shape without turning rubbery.

How it is made

The method is simple to describe and takes practice to get right.

• The radish is shredded and simmered until soft and translucent.
• The savoury bits — usually diced Chinese sausage (lap cheong), dried shrimp and shiitake — are stir-fried until fragrant.
• The batter of rice flour and water is folded through the hot radish and its liquid.
• The tray goes into the steamer for close to an hour, then cools until firm enough to slice.
• The slices are pan-fried in a little oil until both faces are deeply golden.

The balance of radish to flour decides the character of the cake. More radish gives a softer, more delicate slice with visible strands; more flour gives a firmer cake that is easier to fry. Cantonese diners have strong opinions on this, and most of them prefer the softer style, as long as it does not fall apart in the pan.

A cake for the new year

Outside the dim sum hall, turnip cake belongs to Lunar New Year. In Cantonese homes it is one of the classic festive cakes, alongside the sweet sticky nian gao and water chestnut cake. The reason is partly wordplay: gou (糕), cake, sounds like gou (高), high or tall, so offering cake carries a wish for rising fortunes — 步步高升, step by step, ever higher.

Families often steam a large tray in the days before the holiday, give slices to relatives and fry a few pieces each morning through the first days of the new year. Many people who grew up in Guangdong, Hong Kong or Vancouver's Cantonese households remember the smell of radish and sausage filling the kitchen in late winter.

How to eat it

At dim sum, turnip cake arrives as two or three neat rectangles on a small plate. A few things are worth knowing:

• Eat it hot. The crust is at its best in the first few minutes.
• Try it plain first. A well-made cake is already seasoned. Chilli sauce or a dab of XO sauce is a fine second bite.
• Pair it with something steamed. Its crisp edges sit well beside softer dishes such as rice rolls or har gow.

Some kitchens also stir-fry diced turnip cake with bean sprouts, egg and XO sauce, a richer Hong Kong treatment. The pan-fried slice remains the classic, and the best test of a kitchen.

Turnip cake at Neptune Palace

Our Pan-Fried Daikon Radish Cake (香煎蘿蔔糕, menu 119) is on the dim sum menu at both Neptune Palace locations: Vancouver at Marine Gateway, and Burnaby at The Amazing Brentwood. Like all our dim sum, it is made in-house and cooked to order, so it reaches the table straight from the pan.

It is a good first order for a table new to dim sum and a familiar comfort for those who grew up with it. Dim sum is served every day until 3pm; for weekend tables, calling ahead is the easiest way to avoid a wait.

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