My family loves to eat Dim Sum. We always order Radish Cake whenever we are out for Dim Sum. We also call this savory cake ‘Lo Bak Go’ in Cantonese, and it’s often served on the second day of Chinese New Year for lunch or snacks. It is worth making at home because we can chose good quality ingredients such as Chinese sausage, dried flower mushrooms, dried scallops, dried shrimps and radish. As most radishes are bitter, it is best to cook the radish with some yellow rock sugar to neutralize the bitterness and enhance the sweetness of the vegetables.

Recipe

Ingredients:
1 medium radish (550gm -700gm after grated)
250gm water
(You can use chicken broth or the water that you soaked the dried shrimp, dried scallop & dried mushroom)
1 Chinese sausage (cut into small cubes)
4 gloves chopped garlic
6 chopped shallots
3 nos dried flower mushroom
3tbsp dried shrimp
4 nos dried scallops
1/2 tsp white pepper

Instructions:

Rinse dried shrimp, dried scallops, and dried mushrooms, and soak them in warm water for 2 hours, each in an individual bowl. Drain the water and keep it for later use. Chop the dried shrimp into smaller pieces. Cut the dried mushrooms into small cubes. Separate the dried scallops with a fork or use your fingers to shred the scallops.

In a mixing bowl, combine rice flour, salt and 250gm of water. Mix well with a wooden spoon and set aside. Wash the radish and trim away the top and bottom parts. Use a peeler to remove the radish skin and a mandolin to grate the radish. Set aside.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add the grated radish, white pepper, rock sugar and 50gm of water. Let it cook for about 10-15 minutes until the radish turns tender and translucent.

Pour it into a big strainer and press out all the water. Make sure the radish is dry; otherwise, the radish cake will be very soft and wet. Set aside.

In the same wok, add 1 tsp of oil over medium heat. Add the Chinese sausage and fry until fragrant, then add the garlic, shallots, dried shrimp, and dried scallops and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add dried mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Pour the mixture onto a plate and set aside.

Add the cooked ingredients and radish into the flour batter. Mic well and transfer to a lightly greased 2lb loaf pan or 7X7 inch square baking pan. Use a spatula to smooth the top. Place the pan into a steamer and steam for 50 minutes over medium heat. Insert a chopstick to test if the cake is done. If it comes out clean, then it is ready.

Set aside and let it cool completely. Wrap with cling fir and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before cutting it.

To serve:
Cut the radish into pieces. Pan frying them with some oil and garnish with fried shallots, sliced chilli and chopped spring onion.

Fried Radish Cake / Chai Tao Kway 菜头粿

Fried radish cake is one of the famous street foods in Malaysia and Singapore.  We eat it for breakfast, lunch, or as a tea break. Fried radish cake is prepared in two versions:  fried with dark black sweet soy sauce or plain.

Ingredients (for 2-3 persons):

• 300g cooked radish cake
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp chopped sweet preserved turnip
• 2 tbsp chopped salty preserved turnip
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• White pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce (optional for plain fried radish)
• Some chopped spring onion, coriander, and sliced chili for garnish

Methods:

1. Cut the steamed radish cake into small cubes.
2. Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the radish cake and cook until  lightly browned. Add garlic and preserved turnip, fry until fragrant.
3. Add dark sweet soy sauce and white pepper. Stir to ensure the radish cake is evenly coated with  the dark sauce.
4. Pour lightly beaten eggs over the radish cake and let it cook for 1 minute without stirring.  Flip it over to cook for another minute until done.
5. Transfer to a plate and garnish with fried shallots, chopped spring onion, coriander, and sliced chili.