Learn how to make this delicious savory Cantonese turnip cake or known as lo bak go (kue lobak). The savory cake is steamed and then pan-fried.
I remember the middle-age man who rode on his motorcycle with a large rectangle shape crate securely position on the passenger seat passed by our neighborhood calling out “kue kue” (means cake, but not the sweet cakes as you imagine)before dinner time almost everyday selling lots of savory snacks. We would wave and called “kue kue” too and he would stop in front of our house. He would open up his crate and in there you would see all these delicious food siu mai, cheung fun (steamed rice rolls), jian dui (sesame balls), savory daikon/radish cake, and many other typically seen dim sum items. Lo Bak Go is one of my favorites. His version is actually deep-fried. We call this Kue Lobak in Indonesia and Lo Bak Go in Cantonese.
Daikon
If you make this at home, you will soon learn that homemade lo bak go or kue lobak is truly the best. I love lo bak go with stronger daikon taste and aroma and you can usually achieve this at home or when you dine at restaurants which have a great dim sum.
Most of the store-bought ones usually have more flour and less daikon taste, which is suitable for stir-frying, but I like this steamed version and then pan-fried. The pan-frying creates this thin golden crust on the outside.
This is an easy and pretty fool-proof recipe that mom gave me and I’ve made it several times since. I thought I was in heaven when I had this for breakfast two days in a row !!!! I will definitely be making this again very soon.
DID YOU MAKE THIS LO BAK GO RECIPE?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
For baking/ kueh making: I highly encourage to weigh ingredients with a digital kitchen scale instead of using measuring cups as they are not very accurate especially when it comes to recipe that requires precision.
GRAMS TO CUPS CONVERSION (UNSIFTED)INGREDIENTS
For batter:
- 300 gr rice flour
- 450 ml water
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Filling:
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 5 shallots - peeled and finely chopped
- 50 gr dried shrimps - soaked in water and finely chopped
- 2 links Chinese sausage - remove the casing and finely chopped
- 500 gr Chinese turnip (daikon) - already peeled weight
Seasonings:
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
- Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine the rice flour, water, salt, and sugar. Stir into smooth batter
- Preheat wok/skillet. Add in cooking oil. Saute shallots, garlic and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the dried shrimp and saute for another minute. Add Chinese sausage and cook for another 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the shredded daikon and stir fry until it softens. They will release some juices too, which is fine. Add seasonings and have a taste and adjust to your liking. Turn off the heat and let it cools down for about 5 minutes
- Meanwhile, get your steamer ready on high heat ready for steaming. Give the rice flour mixture a stir and then pour into the wok/skillet and continue to stir to combine everything first (without turning on the fire on the stove yet). Then turn the heat back on over low heat and continue to stir until the mixture started to just thicken but still pourable, if you cook until it's too thick, your cake will come out really hard after steaming. Remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into the pan. Spread the batter as evenly as possible
- Grease a 7 x 7 inch pan, or you can line with parchment paper at the bottom of the cake for easier release later. You need a 7 x 7 inch round pan if you use 6 quart-instant pot (the cake will be taller)
If steaming on the stove:
- Steam on high heat for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake is no longer wet. At the end of cooking time, It may still appear to be soft and wet. Don't panic, let it cool down completely (about 4 hours or so) before attempting to cut into slices. It will firm up nicely for you.
- You can serve as is or put a bit of oil in a non-stick pan and then pan-fry the cake before serving. Serve with chili sauce on the side
If pressure cooking with Instant Pot:
- Pour 2 cups of water in the inner pot. Place a trivet in. Place the pan on top of the trivet. Close the lid and turn the steam release valve to sealing. Set the timer to 35 minutes and then do natural release. At the end of cooking time, It may still appear to be soft and wet. Don't panic, let it cool down completely (about 4 hours or so) before attempting to cut into slices. It will firm up nicely for you.
Pan frying:
- Cut the cake into desired size. Heat up a little bit of oil on a non-stick pan and pan fry both sides until lightly golden brown and serve with your favorite chili sauce or as is
Video
You might also be interested in trying out Singapore Fried Carrot Cake
18 comments
Hi Marvellina, great recipe. I am going to try in for Chinese New Year. Also, can you please tell me where you bought your serving platter from?
Hi Sue, I hope you like. Ohh I wish I could tell you exactly where. It was a gift from a friend and she said she got it from a lady who does pottery.
Hi Marvellina,
It is my favorite snack/breakfast/dimsum dish too! But since I became vegetarian and now vegan, I haven’t had this dish for about 15 years now! I’d like to give it a try. What would you suggest for the alternative options for dried shrimp and sausage?
Thank you!
Hi Lily, I know my mom usually uses dried shiitake mushrooms when she does the vegetarian version instead of dried shrimp and sausage. I don’t know of any good vegan substitution for dried shrimp and Chinese sausage though 🙁
Did I miss the part when we are supposed to mix in the cooked filling with the batter prior steaming?
Hi Jos, after stir frying the filling, you turn off the heat to let it cools off a bit, then the batter that you mixed earlier, you pour into the wok and stir to combine. Then turn the heat back to low again and stir it to combine until it just thickens slightly but still pourable. Transfer to the pan for steaming after that.
would it still be okay if i don’t add shrimp since I am allergic to it?
Hi Fay, it’s totally fine without the shrimp.
Hi cc Marvellina. Tried to make it yesterday and it’s a success. Hubby can’t stop eating it. Thank you so much for the recipes as it really hard to find it in san antonio. (The dimsum places here don’t taste good). Your chai tau kway recipe tastes exactly like we remember it. Excited to try all your other recipes. Thank you.
Hi Fanny,
Thank you so much for letting me know. I’m so happy to hear that you guys like it 🙂 I need to make this again myself.
Do you recommend blending radishes instead of shredding?
Hi Helen,
You can blend it instead of shredding, it’s less labor intensive I know! Please let me know how it turns out. I will try to blend the radish next time and see 🙂
Thanks Marcellina. I’ve tried making this many times with different recipes, but mine always comes out too soft to slice. I suspected that it may have to do with the brand of rice flour, but i have tried the Erwan brand that you use too. I will try making it with your recipe. Hope it works for me, I love radish cake. The best was at dim sum in Hong Kong.
Yes, give this recipe a try and please let me know if it’s good for you or not. I’ve made it several times and it always turns out good. I know! Love the dim sum in Hong Kong. Lucky for us we have a dim sum restaurant here that tastes amazing! Like the real deal!!
What brand of rice flour do you use?
I use the one from Erawan Marketing (Thailand). The package is clear with red writing all over. Hope that helps
Is this what I woud call Lobak Koh or Kue Lobak, it does like like it?
Hi John, Yes, it is lobak koh or kue lobak 🙂