Luo Bo Gao (Cantonese Turnip Cake)
I don't use rice cakes!? Hong Kong dim sum stuffed with daikon radish and fine dried goods
Description
Japanese recipes often wrongly use 'mochi flour' to make it chewy. Authentic Cantonese Turnip Cake uses 'Zhan Mi Fen' (regular rice flour), as extreme chewiness is not the goal. It explodes with umami from massive shredded daikon, dried shrimp, scallops, and Chinese sausage (La Chang).
Restaurants serving Luo Bo Gao (Cantonese Turnip Cake)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Daikon radish
- Zhan Mi Fen(Rice flour)
- Wheat starch
- Dried shrimp
- Dried scallops
- Chinese sausage(La Chang)
- White pepper
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe & Differences]
- (Ingredients) Do not use mochi flour. Use regular rice flour 'Zhan Mi Fen' and a touch of wheat starch.
- Julienne massive amounts of daikon (radish weight must be 3x the flour). Boil it down using its own juices until soft (NEVER discard the radish water).
- Finely chop and fry dried shrimp, rehydrated scallops, and sweet 'Chinese sausage (La Chang)'.
- Whisk the hot radish liquid into the rice flour slowly to create a smooth, thick paste.
- Fold in the boiled radish, fried umami ingredients, salt, sugar, and white pepper.
- Pour into an oiled square mold and steam for
- hour until fully set.
- Chill until firm, slice into rectangles, and pan-fry until both sides have a crispy, golden-brown crust.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense seafood broth from dried shrimp/scallops、Sausage sweetness
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Japanese Daikon Mochi (stretches like mochi due to mochi flour)
Pairing
Pu'er Tea / Jasmine Tea
Trivia
[Trivia] In Cantonese, 'Luo Bo' is radish, 'Gao' is cake. Radish is also called 'Cai Tou', which sounds identical to 'Good Fortune', making it a highly auspicious and mandatory Dim Sum for the Lunar New Year.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Enjoy the contrast between the 'crispy, roasted' exterior and the 'meltingly soft daikon' interior. Dipping slightly in soy sauce or chili sauce (La Jiang) further accentuates the dried seafood umami.
Allergen
Shrimp, Pork (Sausage)