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.

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.

Notes

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.