Turnip Cake

Ingredients

Radish

• 900 gdaikon radish, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 200 mlwater

Batter

• 250 grice flour
• 40 gcornflour
• 300 mlcold water
• 1 teaspoonsugar
• 1 teaspoonwhite pepper
• 1 teaspoonsalt

Aromatics

• 6dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and diced
• 3 tablespoonsdried shrimp, soaked, optional
• 1Chinese sausage, finely diced, optional
• 2shallots, finely sliced
• 2 tablespoonsoil

To serve

• oil, for pan-frying
• sweet soy paste or hoisin
• chilli sauce
• chopped spring onion

Directions

1. Pick daikon that is heavy for its size and firm. A soft or hollow radish has dried out. Grate it coarsely rather than finely. Some texture should remain in the finished cake. Put the grated radish in a pan with the water. Add the salt and bring it to a simmer.
2. Cover it and cook it for fifteen minutes. It should turn soft and translucent. Let it cool down for ten minutes. Preparing the aromatics takes a few minutes. Soak the shiitake in hot water for thirty minutes. Squeeze them out and dice them small. Soak the dried shrimp for ten minutes and chop them. Dice the Chinese sausage very small. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat.
3. Fry the shallots until they are golden and fragrant. Add the mushrooms, shrimp and sausage. Fry everything for three or four minutes. The kitchen should smell strongly savoury at this point.
4. Leave all of these out for the plain Taiwanese version. Making the batter is simple but needs care. Whisk the rice flour and cornflour with the cold water. Add the sugar, pepper and salt. Whisk it until it is completely smooth. It should be thin, like single cream.
5. Pour the batter into the warm radish and its liquid. Stir it constantly as it goes in. Return the pan to a very low heat. Stir it for two minutes until it becomes a thick paste. Stir in all of the fried aromatics. Taste it now and adjust the seasoning. It should taste slightly too salty at this stage.
6. Oil a loaf tin or a round cake tin. Spoon the mixture in and press it down firmly. Level the top with a wet spatula. Set it in a steamer over boiling water. Cover the tin loosely with foil. That stops condensation dripping onto the surface.
7. Steam it for about fifty minutes. A skewer pushed in should come out clean. Take the tin out and let it cool. Then refrigerate it for at least four hours. Turn the cold cake out and cut it into thick slices. Make them about a centimetre and a half thick.
8. Heat oil in a non-stick or well-seasoned pan. Lay the slices in without crowding them. Fry them for four minutes without moving them. That patience is what builds the golden crust.
9. Turn them once and fry the other side. Both faces should be crisp and deep golden. Set the fried slices on a plate. Add chilli sauce for those who want it. Scatter chopped spring onion over the top. The steamed cake keeps for four days refrigerated. Fry the slices to order rather than in advance.

Technique

• The Hokkien pun on radish and good fortune is why the cake appears at Lunar New Year across southern China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
• The English name turnip cake is a longstanding mistranslation and the dish contains no turnip.

Substitutions

• The dried shrimp, sausage and mushroom can all be left out for a plain vegetarian cake.
• That plainer version is common in Taiwan and is what most breakfast carts sell.

Variations

• Cantonese lo bak go is richer, with more sausage and shrimp.
• Taro cake, wu tau gou, uses the same method with taro instead of radish.
• Some Taiwanese carts serve the cake with a fried egg on top.

History

A Lunar New Year auspicious food whose Hokkien name puns on rising fortune, now a daily breakfast-cart staple.

Frequently asked questions

What is Turnip Cake?

Turnip Cake is a street food from Taiwan: steamed daikon and rice-flour cake, pan-fried in slices with soy paste. A Lunar New Year auspicious food whose Hokkien name puns on rising fortune, now a daily breakfast-cart staple.

How long does Turnip Cake take to make?

Turnip Cake takes 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes one loaf tin, 12 slices. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Turnip Cake?

Yes, within limits. The dried shrimp, sausage and mushroom can all be left out for a plain vegetarian cake. That plainer version is common in Taiwan and is what most breakfast carts sell.

What is the most important thing to get right in Turnip Cake?

Pick daikon that is heavy for its size and firm. A soft or hollow radish has dried out. Grate it coarsely rather than finely. Some texture should remain in the finished cake. Put the grated radish in a pan with the water. Add the salt and bring it to a simmer.