My Mother-in-Law's Famous Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go)

I am honoured to be sharing my mother in law's famous turnip cake recipe! This is a classic dim sum dish, but it's something my MIL always makes for us every Chinese New Year. Honestly, I've never had a version at any restaurant better than hers, which is why I insisted on going over to her house to watch her make it, so that I know exactly how to make it and can pass it on to the next generation. This is a family classic that has to live on!
If you've never had turnip cake (also known as radish cake, daikon cake and lo bak go in Cantonese), it may not sound like the most delicious thing at first. But trust me, with the addition of dried shrimp, scallops, Chinese sausage and shiitake mushrooms, this is one of the most umami-filled comfor foods. There's a reason why it's a classic!
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About Pai:
Pailin “Pai” Chongchitnant is the author of the Hot Thai Kitchen cookbook, co-host of a Canadian TV series One World Kitchen on Gusto TV, and creator and host of the KZbin channel Pailin's Kitchen.
Pai was born and raised in southern Thailand where she spent much of her "playtime" in the kitchen. She traveled to Canada to study Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and was later trained as a chef at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in San Francisco.
After working in both Western and Thai professional kitchens, she decided that her passion really lies in educating and empowering others to cook at home via KZbin videos, her cookbook, and cooking classes. She currently lives in Vancouver, and goes to Thailand every year to visit her family. Visit her at hot-thai-kitchen.com
#ThaiFood #ThaiRecipes #AsianRecipes

[@PailinsKitchen]

HELLO LOVELY VIEWERS! Important Note: If you have questions about this recipe, you can post it here for the community to answer. But if you want to ask me, please get in touch via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or my website (all links are in the description above). If you leave questions in the comments I may not see them due to the large volume of comments I receive across the hundreds of videos on this channel. Also, before sending on any questions be sure to read the written recipe on the website as I often add extra tips and notes not covered in the video. Thank you for watching!

[@lensandlight2023]

Pailin's Kitchen hi want to know how much cup for daikon raddish?

[@lensandlight2023]

Pailin's Kitchen can u post a detailed ingredients I want to try thank u🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@adamthehtkminion6750]

@@lensandlight2023 It's in the link above :) hot-thai-kitchen.com/turnip-cake

[@leslie7872]

how much of a average daikon is 750g?!?!

[@teobeeim]

Pailin's Kitchen can you tell me how much is the liquid in millilitre (1 cup) that you used ? This recipe is awesome!

[@Jeffffrey0902]

A tip from my mom, another turnip cake expert: save a bit of the "seafood mixture" and sprinkle it on top of the cake before steaming to make the final product look prettier.

[@lemoncake3824]

You mom is true💯.I always use chopped brown mushroom,dry onions,dry baby shrimps and some sliced bacon.They often tend to precipitate in the bottom of cake mold.

[@rietakahashi3820]

Can I use frozen seafood mix?

[@bernadettesantos4523]

True and sesame seed on top

[@SwimmerPrince]

​@@rietakahashi3820 yes but I think it's better to thaw the seafood first and chop them into small bits

[@rietakahashi3820]

@@SwimmerPrince thank you

[@Timurlane100]

Not only do I love turnip cake, but your presentation is, as always, spectacular. You do such a good job of explaining the details that culminate into a fantastic final product. Thank you!

[@mytummywhispers9739]

Hi Pai, I tried your LoBak Go today, The only difference is, I did a vegetarian version. That is with diced mushrooms, carrots, spring onions. I’m taking it to my vegetarian friends house. I added a little veg stock powder as its a vegetarian dish. It turned out really good. Thanks a ton to you. Love you dear.

[@sammy23785]

sounds good!

[@LemLTay]

With this recipe, you can ring the changes by substituting the daikon radish with yam (taro) or pumpkin. If you're planning to serve the slices without pan-frying them further, when the cake is still warm from the steamer, sprinkle with toppings such as fried shallots, sliced green onion (spring onions) and finely diced red chilli. Then using a spatula, lightly press the toppings so that they stick to the cake. As explained in the recipe, the cake is sticky when it first comes out of the steamer, that's why the colourful toppings are best added and pressed on at that stage before allowing the cake to cool. Adding some garnishes gives a pop of colour and the resulting slices - cut into squares or diamonds - can be served at room temperature as a super snack. Oh, if you're fussy like my late grandma and wanted to smooth the top of the cake before steaming, sprinkle it with a little water and then it'll smooth out perfectly with either a spatula or even a wet hand. She used to nickname the process of setting the cake in the wok as "mixing cement" and the smoothing with water finished off the surface perfectly.

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

Wow, what an amazing comment! I know it's been a year but I really think you need to have your own channel, even this comment is interesting and useful so imagine what a video would be like! :)

[@lifeisbeautiful_nz]

Good ideas. Thank you

[@marytsantos6827]

Love the recommendations of substitutions of taro/yam and pumpkin!

[@LemLTay]

@@marytsantos6827 My late grandma was famous for her "pumpkin cake", I merely picked up some tips watching and asking her. I try to make it but it isn't the same as hers, must be all the experience and love she put into hers!!

[@westcoastwarriorsarchive7929]

interesting idea, never thought to substitute pumpkin for diakon.

[@dorami3]

Made this for my parents and in-laws this year. They LOVED it! Thank you so much for this recipe and the thorough explanation!

[@arejetko]

Looks like a deluxe recipe - I love eating it a dim sum (but with less goodies). But since the slices are rectangular, I would steam it in a square pan :) Keep rockin the kitchen, young lady! Loved the vid about your roots. Being the modest person you are, you may have neglected to share some of your impressive achievements along the way.

[@YEUNGMANCOOKING]

I grew up on these!! 🔥

[@omgwth7567]

This​ recipe​ is​ priceless.

[@elisabethwinkelmann8324]

We live in the UK and are self-isolating as we might have Covid - so my 3 year old son missed the Chinese New Year themed week at nursery. We made this today - as our mooli didn't weigh 750g, we actually added half a grated swede (known in Scotland as turnip!) and it still tasted delicious, and was a lovely light golden colour. I think I would make it even drier next time to make it a bit more bouncy, ours turned out a little bit mushy. But the flavour was superb, just as you say, dipped in soy sauce to balance the sweetness of the vegetables.

[@alanvonau278]

Turnip cake is one of my favorite dim sum dishes. I don't get to go to a dim sum restaurant very often. It's good to know that it is not too difficult to make the dish at home. Thank you!

[@meeleetee8530]

I made it. It was so delicious. No more getting it from dimsum place. Thank you Pailin of sharing the recipe.

[@Mishin108]

Thank you for the recipe (and to your mother-in-law). This looks so good.

[@LisaQuan]

One of my favorite dim sum dishes. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

[@deda118]

One of the best presentations I have ever seen!

[@cakester18]

Love this stuff! If I'm not busy, I'll make this for CNY for my family too. I usually add finely chopped preserved radish (similar to the ones used in Pad Thai) - it's adds a funky, crunchy, different kind of daikon flavour. Soo good.

[@yoomihong5611]

I fell in love with you and your recipe !! The best explanation for how to make delicious turnip cakes! Thanks a lot :D

[@anntun7614]

Greetings from Singapore! Thank you for sharing your mum in law's recipe and thanks to my friend, Wendy, who recommended your KZbin video to me. I have successfully made your radish cake about 5 times (its a hit with everyone in the family including my mum and mother in law:)) and even made a savoury pumpkin cake with the same ingredients and measurements stipulated in your radish cake recipe! I like the texture of your radish cake as it has just the right amount of rice flour (130g for 750g of radish, 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of tapioca flour) unlike most other recipes where the amount of flour is just too much. I will try making a savoury yam cake soon. Thank you again.

[@vivienh6822]

I tried several Lo Bak Go recipes, yours is the best. My husband and I finished the whole cake in two days! 👍😋

[@BlueBenz2005]

Would like to thank your MIL and you for this recipe. It is indeed so amazing. It is a keeper

[@lilminishlomit]

I have never made radish cake until 3 weeks ago. I tried total three different recipes and I got the best result using yours, Pailin :) I made a vegan version. Although the process of squeezing the Daikon water out was the extra step, but it's the most important one to get that right radish cake consistency. Thank you!

[@TiannNChong]

we actuallly do call it radish cake here in Malaysia. We either pan fry the steamed radish cake, or chop it up into smaller pieces and stir fry it with soy sauce, spring onions, sesame oil and bean sprouts!

[@Piyopung]

I love stir fry version of turnip cake! It’s a very popular dish in china town

[@steves9388]

And in Singapore it's known as carrot cake (in English).

[@kelvinyewkeanliang2051]

That would be Char Koew Cark in Malaysia.

[@simplyme3306]

Yes, hahaha I was about to say we call that carrot or radish cake in Singapore/Malaysia I guess Hong Kong too. As lo bak is carrot in cantonese and radish is also carrot in chinese lol!

[@bearllande]

called radish cake in the philippines as well. it's a chinese thing you find in dimsum places often

[@avg18]

Oh I've had them at dim sum many times and always wondered how it was made. It is a labor of love! Thank you for sharing!

[@hasitdawnedonyou]

I usually make this in a loaf pan I find it much easier to cut into slices and pan fry for maximum surface area crispiness 😍

[@chengsimhew3726]

Your mother-in-law’s turnip cake is really yums. We have used your recipe twice now & it’s great each time. We made our own XO sauce as dipping sauce.

[@mscott976]

Please thank you MIL for this recipe. I was drawn by the idea of turnip cakes but I also love daikon so I will be making this soon.

[@Righteous1ist]

Those fried cakes mixed with fried eggs on the side are one of my favorite dishes

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

It's been a year and I still haven't made this. I'm so glad I reminded myself by randomly clicking on this recommended video. Looks so good-- great reason to buy a proper bamboo steamer. Your channel is great. Hope you see this comment so you know you're still rocking the world of so many loyal viewers. :)

[@nisseiaccounting9574]

your mom in law has great recipe. yumyumyum please thank her for us

[@mytummywhispers9739]

Thank you very very much for sharing this heirloom recipe. Back in Singapore and Malaysia, we don’t make it at home. Simply pop into a stall and buy them . Only when we are away from hometown, we learn how to make, appreciate, treasure and savour them to the fullest. Thank you so very much for sharing this authentic dish. Going to make for a good friends lunch soon. Will share with you how it went.

[@kchan7209]

I like your version. Your demonstration is so simple. Thank you.

[@tcong9616]

Absolutely delicious ... radish cakes ... and always a dim sum choice since since being a kid. Love your prep. Well done! And so funny hearing Adam sharing he didn’t quite have the same experience when growing up.

[@lindaliang3825]

Your method was painless, and very efficiently done. Thank you!

[@peterstang]

Wow! This is truly a de luxe version of the turnip cake here! Done with tender loving care. Thank you.

[@katherinelok7689]

I love turnip cake! I eat it with oyster sauce

[@loveispatient0808]

Definitely a Chinese/Cantonese “dish” a staple and an “essential” in dim sum meal!!!!!

[@missamyq]

So grateful for this video! I love this turnip cake so much.

[@hrundivbakshi3959]

This is one of my favourite dishes on a dim sum menu and this video is giving me major cravings.

[@tanyaprice6774]

Thanks, looks like a great recipe! I had the same initial reaction to the idea of 'turnip cake' and then tried it and love it. Always look out for it at dim sum / yum cha.

[@gialuanthang7716]

My grandma makes this all the time, and we would just fry the pieces until it's crispy then whip in an egg. Classic Chinese breakfast (also we Vietnamese have another thing called "bột chiên" which literally means fried cake using only the "cake" thing without turnip and Chinese sausage and stuffs, as a Chinese-Vietnamese I am loving my life).

[@bearygoodbeans8169]

Absolutely FANTASTIC, thank you so much. I will make this today. I am blessed to live across from an asian food store, one of the reasons i am here. I know I will not be able to use the dried scallops, but have total confidence it will be the turnip cake i love from the dim sum restaurant.

[@terryyonashiro3735]

Pailin, I’ve always wondered how those turnip cakes were made. No wonder they taste so good with all of the umami ingredients. Thank you for taking the time to scale down the recipe us. Definitely got to make this recipe.

[@fantafantanocoke]

One of my favorite restaurants makes smth similar to this with taro, eggs, and peanuts and I’ve always wanted to make it at home. Gonna try this!

[@1244cuba]

Wonderful recipe, and you are terrific! This is one of my favorite dim sum treats! thank you!

[@audreylo6888]

They look perfect! I always have difficulties to make them taste like in the restaurant. I will definitely give it a try! Thanks for the recipe!

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

You refined creature you: such a giveaway about your education and upbringing when you corrected your language at 6:08. I caught that! The way the English language is degenerating in 2020 is a one way train I fear, but it's truly beautiful to hear that some people still care about speaking correctly and well. The language is shrinking and clumsily used with slang and emojis taking the place of WORDS intelligently formed. This is a terrific video, and I thank you for going to the trouble. I enjoyed the background story. I had to do similar research regarding my own family recipes because as you said, none of these 'master home cooks' write anything down! :D

[@Cesarineo100]

My wife grew up eating this dish and was surprised on how good it came out on my first try. Thank you for such great videos. By the way, there is a taro version of this type of cake that tastes good as well.

[@shelleyzhang7973]

Made it yesterday and it was a success!! Thank you for the great tips

[@tannedlifeguard]

Your mother in law is exactly like what my mom does every year when approaching Chinese New Year 😂 It’s a huge production. I like your video a lot and it makes me feel that it’s easier and I am motivated to do this cake this year myself.

[@RRocks68]

I can't wait to try this recipe! Watching this inspired me to go to my local Dim Sum restaurant and it got me thinking. You should do a series on Dim Sum recipes! I know it's not necessarily your wheelhouse but I've never found another chef or cookbook that has made Asian cooking as accessible as you have. If you're looking for other areas to get into.

[@salami3975]

This is my second time making it, and it’s as lovely and wonderful as the first. Thank you so much!

[@Rotationbug]

The lid had me burst into laughter. Thanks dear for sharing.🤗

[@Pixlanta]

I'm so excited to try

[@chubbieminami3274]

Thank you from Japan! My favorite dim sum dish but it is expensive and I usually cannot order it. I can make it at home now!! As an activity for my my mom with dementia, I had her she cut the daikon,. But it turned out to be too thick. I could not extract enough water from it... So, naturally, the cake got very soggy. It could not hold its shape but it was still VERY delicious and we all enjoyed it. Best to your mother in law. Stay safe!!

[@Hughjasslol1]

Straight up best recipe for Daikon cake

[@bigduke6702]

You just made my friggin’ summer. I can’t wait to make this!

[@wassana0913]

Thank you for sharing your recipe. Made it and turn out very well. Love it !!

[@chifonchic]

Just made it, damn good😋😋 thank you for sharing this awesome recipe 👍🏻👍🏻

[@dbll6696]

Thanks so much for sharing the Lo Bak Go recipe. I made it using your exactly, and it was a success with my family & my mother too!

[@kingsleymok4008]

I love LO BAK GO. Especially when they are pan fried and seared. Thank you for making this video. I will try to make this.

[@JY-zq5jk]

Can’t wait to make this! Yummy. Thanks for sharing. Love your channel.

[@valerieloh4197]

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is indeed flavourful , delicious & aromatic. A big thumbs up !

[@raihanahlukman3615]

In my household, we like to slice it really thinly before pan-frying them so they're thin and crispy! ah reminds me of my home town love it!!

[@kennyrogers803]

Mmmmmmmm... turnip cakes taste so good. That taste so delicious and crispy turnip cake. Great recipe. See u next time.

[@janieni21]

Followed instructions per video and made the most delicious turnip cake! Taste better than dimsum restaurants! Thank you Pailin for sharing your MIL recipe!

[@marinali7034]

yea because scallions are expensive, restaurants won't give you that

[@avr198]

Just made this and put it in the rice cooker (steam function). Turned out so well! Crispy on the bottom!

[@johnveca2979]

Great vid. I used to eat turnip cake quite a bit when I lived in Taiwan. This recipe looks like a winner.

[@fantafantanocoke]

This looks so good!!

[@dianatan6794]

Thanks Pailin. I tried this a few times now and each time it tastes so good!!! Love the receipe and thanks for making it so simple for a novice like me.

[@mostlyharmlessrc3920]

Excellent food channel! Pailin, you are really knowledgeable and a pleasure to listen to - a born teacher. Thank you!

[@TomoyaKun100]

I will be honest, when I was a child, I wasn't really into it probably because of the flavor from the dried shiitake mushrooms. Now, I can't stop eating it at my favorite dim sum restaurant lol

[@ghostofthefuture]

One of my fave dim sum dishes. Decided to finally find out how it was made today. Looks terrific.

[@worwantube]

Thank you! This is my fav dish!

[@larrysong953]

My favorite dim sum. My mom makes big pan every new year. There's a taro version too. I like it hot panfried and cold 👏😀

[@gideonTeli]

I am soooooooo excited because this is one of my favorite things to eat!!!!!!

[@estherphillips4663]

My goodness looks amazing

[@EvezYan]

tried and the family likes this. shall make a bigger portion for CNY this year! Thanks for the recipe!!

[@EvezYan]

I made this twice this year. One for New Year and another bigger one for CNY. Very yummy and easy recipe! Thanks for sharing such great recipe!

[@angelineloo9575]

Thanks, Pai. Couldn't resist NOT making it. It turned out delicious. Ate it immediately after steaming, without going through the frying process. Dipped in sweet chilli sauce. Perfect! Your recipe is packed with radishes and ingredients unlike those in restaurants which have more flour. Great! Thank you for your hardwork. Can't wait to see your 'pie'. 😄

[@danjf1]

Thank you for recipe!

[@alvintan5234]

It’s the 1st time I tried making radish cake and it was a great success. It’s so good & delicious that we finished it in 1 go by 5 paxs and had to make another batch for next day breakfast. Thanks Pailin for sharing this wonderful recipe, great job 😊

[@viviantun8656]

Thank you for sharing this recipe.

[@dw-oc7uj]

These look delicious thank you!

[@tramhuynh6476]

OMG. Looks so good!

[@sammikit]

I love lor bak go! Pan fried with sesame oil, green onions and soy sauce with an over easy egg on top is my favourite. Nom, nom, nom. We actually do soak the Chinese sausage for a short time just so we can peel the casing off.

[@chejao7158]

I had been cooking using this recipe and it's so yummy!!! Thank you for sharing this

[@66CudaX]

Great vid Pailin! I ate lo bak go as a kid and still love it now!! Thanks for sharing :-)

[@sallielesage2869]

Love this recipe! Good tip about why you would want to include tapioca starch.

[@flight0attendant]

Omg I love your channel, you always have the recipe I'm looking for and your videos are really easy to follow

[@inodelacruz1245]

Oh my goodness! This is my favorite! Whether steamed or pan-fried. Thanks a lot!!! In Singapore/Malaysia, it’s called Carrot cake-silly I know, but good. In Hokkien, it’s called Chai Thao Kuey.

[@ichee1970]

The Chai Tao Kueh, when done properly has a few more ingredients, post-steaming. Normally, the chilled radish "cake" blocks are cubed and sauteed in garlic, chives, egg, minced preserved salted turnip, dark soya caramel or dark soyal sauce and maybe chinese sausage. Some have a spicy chili sambal paste added. Reallt good.

[@meizhou9279]

That makes sense since the word for turnip and carrot is the same in Cantonese. We call carrots “red turnip” because of the color.

[@jemanuels]

These are so good for breakfasts

[@robertmacfarlane8176]

One of my favorite dim sum dishes.

[@omegoa]

Hi Pai. You're 100% right - the first time I heard of "turnip cake" it wasn't something I thought I'd like to try. First taste totally changed my mind. It doesn't remind me of a turnip in any sense and I always order that when I eat dim sum. Thanks very very much for this nice recipe - I'll be trying this for sure!

[@kelleybayern7656]

I'm so happy to have stumbled upon your channel! As a half Taiwanese gal, my mouth is watering. Love the way you explain recipes. Will be trying this soon!

[@xoAngelz]

i'm going to make this for my 88 yr old grandma she loves this

[@StAndrew65]

Great video! You are an excellent teacher!

[@maddewkey]

Yes!! I love it

[@helenatan1030]

Wow! This is my fave dish ... thanks for sharing . Will be cooking this soon ♥️♥️♥️

[@yuniverse5049]

One of my favorite dims dish! I didn't know this actually lots of work to make... Thank you for sharing! I will try your recipe one day :)

[@blueskiy1]

Great video! I have a turnip lying in the fridge for more than a week and didn't know what to do with it. I've just used it for this recipe : ) Thanks for sharing !