Turnip cake is a soft savory cake that has cured sausages with tones of fragrant daikon combined into one. It is a dim sum staple but can be easily made at home with a few ingredients.
1-2 Chinese sausages, chopped
2-3 oz Chinese cured pork belly, chopped
⅓ cup dried baby shrimp, chopped
2 cup of water
1 cup of rice flour
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp rock sugar (can substitute ½ tbsp white sugar)
½ tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tsp chicken bouillon
1. Heat a wok up on medium heat. Add in 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok and coat. Add in cured pork belly, sausage, and dried shrimp. Add in rock sugar and mix until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and reserve for later.
2. Heat wok back up on low heat and add in radishes. Cook for about 5 minutes until water comes out of radishes. Add in white pepper, salt, and chicken bouillon. Mix well. Incorporate the pork belly, sausage, and dried shrimp into the wok and mix well with radish.
3. Using a measuring cup, take radish water and add in more water, until it reaches 2 cups when combined. Pour water into wok and mix.
4. Add rice flour and mix well. Turn off the heat.
5. Pour mixture into a pan and fill it to the top. Using a wok, bring 4 cups of water to boil with a steaming rack and heat on high. Once water boils, place radish cake pan in a steamer and close the lid. Steam on medium heat for 60 minutes.
6. After the radish cake is done steaming, remove from heat, and let it cool. Refrigerate the radish cake overnight. Once the radish cake is nice and solid, it’s ready to cook.
7. To cook, slice the cake into ½ inch increments. Heat a pan up to medium heat with 1 tbsp of oil. Coat the pan with oil. Once oil is warm, place the radish cake slices on the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve right away with chili sauce or soy sauce. Enjoy!
Chinese sausage – Lap cheong can be found in most Asian supermarkets such as 99 Ranch. I like using the brand “kam yen jan”.
Chinese cured pork belly – Chinese cured pork belly can also be found in Asian supermarkets and the brand I use is “Orchard Sausages Inc.”
Dried baby shrimp – “ha mi” are dried baby shrimps that are slightly salted in flavor. I found these baby shrimps in the refrigerated section at the Chinese supermarket.
Keywords: Turnip Cake