This Chinese Radish Cake (Lo Bak Gao) with dried shrimp and fried shallots is a dim sum favorite. Super delicious and easy to prepare.
This Lo Bak Gao is a much requested recipe from the followers of this blog. Perhaps the reason is because I grow a lot of daikon (radish) in my vegetable garden and I often share pictures of it on social media. Daikon is easy to grow and they mature quickly. You get two vegetables in one because the leaves are edible. They are quite tasty and have a slight peppery flavor.
Chinese Radish Cake (Lo Bak Gao) – A Dim Sum Favorite
In Malaysia, Lo Bak Gao is a very popular dish at the dim sum restaurants together with Siu Mai and Har Gow. Restaurant Radish Cake is usually pan fried, soft, and smooth with tiny bits of dried shrimp. Homemade Lo Bak Gao is usually chunkier and is sometimes loaded with mushrooms and Chinese sausage in addition to the dried shrimp.
My version has dried shrimp and fried shallots. It is also a little chunkier than the one served at the restaurants because the radish is shredded and not chopped. Maybe next time I will chop the shredded daikon lightly for a smoother texture.
The White Radish
There are many different kinds of white radish you can use for this recipe. I grow mainly Minowase Daikon because I have saved lots of seeds from the past years. They are very easy to grow and the radish they produced are mild, sweet, and crisp.
That said, the ones in our greenhouse are still not ready for harvest. I have used up the two that you see in this picture to cook this White Radish Soup. I went to the grocery stores looking for daikon but did not find any at this time of the year. They do carry them but for some reason it is just not currently available.
I ended up buying a Korean radish from the one and only Asian grocery store in town. Korean radish is firmer and crunchier. Perhaps that is why my Radish Cake appears to be chunkier. However, the taste is very similar and is hard to tell apart especially with the add-ins of dried shrimp and crispy fried shallots.
Steamed and Pan Fried
The daikon is mixed with rice flour and water to make a batter which is thicken over the stove. It is then spread into a tray and steamed to form the “cake”. After which, the “cake” is cooled and cut into slices. You can eat it as this stage as it is fully cooked and is just as tasty.
However, most people like to pan fry the slices of cake to give it that fragrant and crusty exterior. The golden crust make it look even more tasty and appealing.
Similar Products Used in Making This Chinese Radish Cake (Lo Bak Gao)
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2 Piece Stainless Steel Stack and Steam Pot Set
18/8 Stainless Steel 11 inch Steamer Pot with Lid, 2-tier
Hand Hammered 14 inch, Round Bottom Carbon Steel Pow Wok with Bamboo Handle
Chinese Radish Cake (Lo Bak Gao)
Ingredients
- 2 oz dried shrimp (57g)
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil (divided)
- 1 lb daikon /white radish, shredded (450g)
- 4 cups water (divided) (960ml)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp crispy fried shallots
- 2 cups rice flour (250g)
Garnish (optional)
- 2 green onions (thinly sliced)
- 1 tbsp crispy fried shallots
- 4 tbsp sweet chili sauce
Instructions
- Grease an 8” x 8” deep square pan.
- Rinse and soak dried shrimp for 10 minutes. Drain well and give the softened dried shrimp a rough chop.
- Heat up 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. Add prepared dried shrimp and fry until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Combine shredded radish and 1 cup (240ml) water in a medium non-stick pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Add salt, ground pepper, and sugar.
- Cover and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until radish becomes soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add prepared dried shrimp, crispy fried shallot, rice flour and remaining 3 cups (720ml) water into the pot.
- Stir with a spatula and cook until mixture becomes a thick paste, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour thicken radish paste into prepared 8” x 8” deep square pan. Smoothen the surface with a plastic wrap.
- Prepare a steamer with rack.
- Transfer pan into steamer rack and steam for 45 minutes.
- When done, remove from steamer rack and allow it to cool completely.
- Flip the pan over onto a cutting board. Cut into 16 slices.
- To serve, coat a non-stick fry pan with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Pan fry slices of steamed radish cake for 5 minutes. Flip the pieces of radish cakes and pan fry for another 5 minutes until golden brown. Pan fry in two batches.
- Transfer onto a serving dish and garnish with green onions and crispy fried shallots, if using.
- Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce and hoisin sauce.
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