Dims sums 點心 can range from small dishes of steamed dumplings, rice dishes, noodle dishes, fried delicacies and sweet desserts. In our family it is not surprising to find the table filled up with food and towers of bamboo steamers of chicken feet, dumplings and buns. It allows all the family members to catch up on the latest gossips and any important events in each others lives.
My all time favourite dim sum dish has to be the turnip cake 蘿蔔糕. It is a savoury cake made of daikon radish and various other ingredients. The cake is cut into small pieces which is then fried in a wok to crisp up the outer skin. This is probably not the healthiest of dim sums on the menu but to me it is one of the yummiest. Served with a side of chilli sauce just brings out the flavours from each ingredient in the dish. You would not be able to eat much of this dish as it can be very rich and oily but as there are usually other dishes to choose from, it is a great starter for the meal.
Traditionally turnip cake is made during the Chinese New Year celebrations. This dish is served when friends or family come to your home to wish you Happy Chinese New Year.
When I was younger I stayed with my maternal grandparents in Hong Kong during the New Year celebrations. In the living room, there was always a beautiful lacquer box filled with dried fruits and melon seeds laid out for the guests to nibble when they visited. My grandma and aunties would then fry up a plate of turnip cake and yam cake to serve afterwards. I was never a fan of yam cake as I found it too dry but the turnip cake was moist and flavourful. I guess I found my love of turnip cake from that young age.
My mother always said that turnip cake was very hard to make and perfect, so I never thought about making it myself. However following a heavy weekend I was itching to go yam cha but all the family was busy, so I decided to make turnip cake at home to satisfy my urge.
My mother and future mother-in-law were great sources to ask about the recipe, but they did not mention about quantity or measurements so I estimated most of it. I only made one cake as I had half a daikon radish in the fridge left over from making braised beef earlier in the week. I think the next time I make it, I will double the quantities to make more so that I can freeze it for another time especially since the preparation is quite long-winded.
The recipe turned out pretty well. As the turnip cake was home made, I was able to add in more turnip and other ingredients to make it more textured and flavoursome. The usual turnip cakes I order from the restaurant can be mostly made of flour and skimp on the other ingredients which make it more bland.
My B who usually hates turnip cake because he finds the texture too doughy and plain, ate a plate full of my homemade turnip cake. He liked that the homemade version had more flavour and the texture of the cake was bulked up by the dried shrimps, scallions and Chinese sausage (lap cheung). However, next time I make it I may add less water to the mixture to thicken up the cake so that when it is fried, the shape of the cake is maintained.
Surprisingly making the turnip cake turned out very straightforward and not as complicated as my mother always made it out to be. I wished I had made this a long time before instead of making do with the restaurant version all these years.
Homemade Turnip Cake
- 1/2 daikon radish (about 600kg)
- 12 dried shrimps
- 1 Chinese sausage
- 2 scallions
- 90g rice flour
- 20g wheat starch
- dash of shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp of soy sauce
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of white peper
- 1tsp of sugar
- vegetable oil
Peel and grate the radish. Leave to drain in a colander. Make sure to collect the juice from the radish by placing a bowl underneath the colander. The juice is saved to be used later.
Rinse and soak the dried shrimps in a small bowl of water for an hour. When the shrimps have softened a bit, dice it finely. Again save the soaked water of the dried shrimps for later use.
Dice the scallions and set aside.
Dice the Chinese sausage and set aside.
Sieve the rice flour and wheat starch into a medium sized mixing bowl.
Combine the juice from the daikon radish and the water from the dried shrimps. Measure out 3/4 cup of this fluid.
Slowly add the 3/4 cup of fluid into the flour and mix to make a batter. Set aside.
Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a wok. When hot stir fry the scallion and Chinese sausage. Mix it round a bit and then add the dried shrimps. Stir fry for about 3 minutes until the ingredients start to take on colour.
Add in the drained daikon radish and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add in the salt, sugar, pepper, soy sauce and wine. Keep cooking until the mixture has softened and yields less fluid.
Finally lower the heat and add in the flour mixture. When adding this make sure to mix this into the radish mixture thoroughly. I found a pair of chopsticks quite useful for the job. It takes some muscle to combine the mixtures and the mixture should resemble a sticky dough. Turn off the heat when all is combined.
Transfer to a well oiled pan ready for steaming. Smooth the top with a spatula for even cooking.
Steam the turnip cake for about 40 minutes. When the turnip cake finishes cooking, it will be quite wobbly. Let the turnip cake cool in it's pan to harden up somewhat. It is easier to cut when cooled down.
When ready to eat, cut the turnip cake into several slices or pieces. Heat up some oil in a wok and fry the pieces of turnip cake. Remember to leave some room between the pieces to avoid them sticking together.
When one side has taken up some colour, turn it over to fry the opposite side. I like it to be extra crispy on the outside so I brown it for a bit longer. Take care not to burn it though.
Dish up and serve with plenty of chilli sauce.
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