Turnip Cake (Lor Bok Goh) | Bánh Củ Cải (Chiên)

1½ pound (4½ cups, tightly packed) fresh Chinese turnips, peeled and coarsely grated

3¼ cups cold water

1 slice ginger, 1 inch thick, lightly smashed

3 Tbsp Chinese white rice wine, or gin

2 large gloves garlic, large, peeled and left whole

Pinch white pepper

10 ounces (2-1/3 cups) rice flour

6 ounces (1½ cups) glutinous rice flour

2 cups plus 1 Tbsp cold water

1/3 cup liquefied pork fat, or peanut oil

2 Tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in water to soften, drained and cut into ¼-inch dice

3 Chinese sausage, cut into ¼-inch dice

½ cup Chinese bacon, cut into ¼-inch dice

1/8 tsp white pepper

3¾ tsp salt

3 Tbsp scallions, finely diced (optional)

3 Tbsp coriander, finely diced (optional)

Grease a 9-inch round, 3-inch deep cake pan; set aside.

In a large pot, place the turnips, 3¼ cups cold water, ginger, wine, garlic and white pepper.  Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower heat and simmer, with lid left open a little, for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat, remove pot from stove, allow to cool, then discard ginger and garlic.

In large bowl mix rice flours with 2 cups and 1 Tablespoon water.  Add liquefied pork fat (or peanut oil) and mix well to combine.  Add dried shrimp, sausages, bacon, white pepper and salt, and mix well to combine thoroughly.  Add turnip mixture, including cooking liquid, to the bowl, and mix well to combine.

Place the mixture in a greased 9-inch round cake pan.  Steam for 1 hour 15 minutes, replenish water every 15 minutes.  Test for doneness.  Turn off heat.  Allow to set 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove cake pan from steamer, cut into portions and serve, sprinkled with finely diced scallions and coriander, if desired.

To pan fry, make sure cake is at room temperature.  Slice the whole cake into portions ½-inch thick by 2½-inches long.  pour sufficient oil to cover fry pan.  Heat over high heat until wisp of smoke appears.  Add turnip cake slices, lower heat.  Pan-fry until light brown, about 3 minutes, turn over, fry for another 3 minutes. 

Drain slices on paper towels, serve immediately with diced scallions and coriander.

Do not freeze turnip cake.  It can be refrigerated.

Oct 2013 - Made this.  Was NOT impressed.  It was way too sticky.  Maybe increase rice flour to 13 ounces and reduce glutinous flour down to 3 ounces next time, if there is a next time.  It made so much, and I had to throw away more than half because it just sat in the fridge over a week.