🥟 Turnip cake (lo bak go)

Name: Turnip cake (lo bak go)
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: China · Guangdong
Ingredients: 1 kg daikon radish, grated; 250 g ground rice (rice powder); 300 ml water; 2 Chinese sausages, diced; 30 g dried shrimp, soaked and chopped; 2 tbsp oil; 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper

Origin: China · Guangdong

195kcal

per serving · 150 g

130kcal

per 100 g

6 gProtein4 g / 100 g

9 gFat6 g / 100 g

26 gCarbs17 g / 100 g

Turnip cake is a Cantonese dim sum dish made from grated daikon radish bound with ground rice, studded with diced Chinese sausage and dried shrimp, steamed into a loaf, then sliced and pan-fried. The slices are crisp and golden outside, soft and savoury inside, with a gentle sweetness from the radish. It is served at dim sum and is a traditional dish for Lunar New Year.

Diets

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

Not vegetarianbecause of: chinese sausage, dried shrimp

Not veganbecause of: chinese sausage, dried shrimp

Contains porkbecause of: chinese sausage

Not keto17 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Crustaceans ⚠ Soy

What it is made of

daikon radishrice flourchinese sausagedried shrimp

Recipe

6 servings90 min

Ingredients

1 kg daikon radish, grated
250 g ground rice (rice powder)
300 ml water
2 Chinese sausages, diced
30 g dried shrimp, soaked and chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper

Method

Stir-fry the sausage and dried shrimp in 1 tbsp oil for 2 minutes and set aside.
Cook the grated daikon in its own juice for 10 minutes until soft.
Whisk the ground rice with the water, salt and pepper, then stir it into the hot radish with the sausage and shrimp to form a thick batter.
Press into an oiled tin and steam for 45–50 minutes; cool completely, ideally overnight.
Slice 1 cm thick and pan-fry in the remaining oil until golden on both sides.

How to make it lighter

Steamed slices without frying are noticeably lighter than pan-fried ones.
Use a non-stick pan and a thin film of oil — 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
Pair two slices with steamed greens instead of several fried dim sum.

History

Despite its English name, the cake is made with white daikon radish, not turnip. It is a long-standing Cantonese dim sum item and is traditionally made at home for Lunar New Year, when it is shared with family and guests.

Count it in one photo

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →