Lo Bak Go (Cantonese Turnip Cake Dim Sum)

Often improperly named: "turnip cake," this dim sum dish is actually made with radishes, daikon to be specific. The cake is laced with bits of Chinese bacon, ham, or sausage, dried shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, and often scallions, and is steamed, then pan fried before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 large daikon radish (~2 lbs give or take), peeled, and run through the big holes in a box grater, or through your food processor's grating attachment.
• 6 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, diced. If using dried, reserve liquid.
• 1/2 cup small dried shrimp, rough chopped, soaked in a bit of water. Just put them on your cutting board and make a few rocking passes with a cleaver.
• equal amount of Chinese bacon, minced. You can also use Chinese preserved ham or sausage, but bacon is best.
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2.5 cups rice flour, NOT glutinous rice flour
• salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• water

Method

In a big pot, add daikon and about a quart of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cook until tender, about 20-30 min. Drain and reserve both cooking liquid and grated daikon. Saute bacon in a pan until browned, add shrimp + liquid, and mushrooms and brown. Add to daikon along with Shaoxing, sugar, salt, and rice flour. Stir to combine. Add enough of the daikon cooking liquid to give the mixture a tapioca/rice pudding texture. Put mixture in a greased loaf pan. Place loaf pan in a pot of boiling water, cover, and steam for an hour. Remove loaf pan, cool, and chill over night in fridge. Run a butter knife along the edge of the loaf pan. Invert the loaf onto a cutting board and slice into 3/4" thick slices with a sharp knife and a slow and steady slicing motion. Fry in a pan on medium with some oil, flipping occasionally, until both sides are browned. I like to use a nonstick skillet for this last step. Serve topped with some sliced scallions and with some light soy and chili oil.