A savory, pan-fried Cantonese-style turnip cake made with shredded daikon, Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, shallots, and a rice flour-based batter. The texture is soft, bouncy, and sliceable after chilling overnight.

Turnip cake, or lo bak go (萝卜糕), is one of the cornerstones of Cantonese dim sum — and despite the name, it contains no turnip at all. The “turnip” is daikon radish, and the cake is a steamed pudding of shredded daikon bound with rice flour, studded with Chinese sausage, cured pork, and dried shrimp, then sliced and pan-fried until the edges turn crisp and golden. It is also a Lunar New Year staple, because gāo (糕), meaning cake, is a homophone for “high” — a wish for rising fortunes in the year ahead.

This version departs from the classic in its flour blend. Traditional recipes use rice flour alone, which can set quite firm. Here, glutinous rice flour joined by wheat starch and cornstarch gives a softer, bouncier crumb that stays tender even after frying. The batter is also partially cooked in the pan before steaming, which makes the texture reliable no matter how watery the daikon turns out to be.

💡 Tips

Every daikon releases a different amount of water — lightly pre-cooking the batter helps make the recipe more stable regardless.

Many turnip cake recipes use only rice flour. I adjusted the starch ratio through testing for a softer, more bouncy texture. You can use all glutinous rice flour, but the result may vary slightly.

Why Add the Batter in Three Additions?

Pouring the batter in gradually, and letting the mixture thicken slightly between additions, pre-gelatinizes the starch in stages. That means no pockets of raw flour, no lumps, and a batter that clings evenly to every shred of daikon. It also stabilizes the whole mixture before steaming — even if your daikon released more or less water than expected, a partially cooked batter sets predictably. Stir the batter before every pour, because the starch settles to the bottom of the bowl within minutes.

Why Chill Overnight Before Slicing?

A freshly steamed turnip cake is far too soft to slice — the starches have not yet firmed up. As the cake cools and rests in the refrigerator, the gelatinized starch sets into a clean, sliceable gel, a process called retrogradation. By the next day the cake cuts into neat slabs that hold together in the pan, so you get the ideal contrast: a crisp, golden crust outside and a soft, bouncy center inside.

Ingredients

Daikon:

• 400–500g daikon radish, peeled and shredded
• 5g salt
• Water released from the daikon, reserved

Aromatics and Fillings:

• 1 Chinese sausage, finely chopped (I used Cantonese-style from Costco)
• 1 small piece Chinese cured pork belly, finely chopped
• A small handful of dried shrimp, soaked until softened and chopped (reserve the soaking liquid; dried scallops also work)
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced

Batter:

• 120g glutinous rice flour
• 25g wheat starch
• 10g cornstarch
• 145g water

Seasoning:

• 10ml oyster sauce
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Peel and shred the daikon radish. Toss with salt and let sit until it releases water. Squeeze out the excess and reserve the liquid.
2. In a bowl, mix glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, and cornstarch. Add 145g water and stir until smooth. Set aside.
3. Heat a pan over medium heat. Add the chopped Chinese sausage and cured pork belly, stir-fry until fragrant and some fat has rendered out.
4. Add the dried shrimp and sliced shallots. Stir-fry until aromatic.
5. Turn the heat to high. Add the squeezed daikon and stir-fry briefly. Season with oyster sauce, salt, and white pepper.
6. Pour in the reserved daikon liquid and shrimp soaking liquid. Bring to a boil and cook for about 1 minute.
7. Turn the heat to low. Add the batter in 3 additions — stir the batter before each pour since the starch settles. After each addition, stir continuously, scraping the sides and bottom, until the mixture thickens slightly before the next addition.
8. Transfer the mixture into a steaming container and smooth the surface. Steam over high heat for 30–40 minutes, until a chopstick inserted comes out without wet batter clinging to it.
9. Remove from steamer, cover, and refrigerate overnight to set. Do not slice while hot.
10. The next day, slice and pan-fry over low heat until golden on both sides, or brush with oil and cook in an air fryer.

Serving Suggestions

At dim sum, turnip cake comes with soy sauce for dipping, but it is even better with XO sauce or a drizzle of chili oil. Serve the slices hot from the pan, while the crust is still crisp, with a pot of Chinese tea alongside to cut the richness.

Flavor Profile

Savory, gently sweet, and deeply fragrant, with crisp edges and a bouncy center.

The daikon itself cooks down sweet and mellow, losing all of its raw sharpness. Against it, the Chinese sausage brings smoky sweetness, the cured pork and dried shrimp bring concentrated savoriness, and white pepper adds a warm hum in the background. Pan-frying gives a lacy golden crust against the soft, almost custardy interior.