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Chinese Turnip Cake (Lo Bak Go, 萝卜糕) I make this turnip cake with grated daikon, Chinese sausage, and dried shrimp, then steam and pan fry it until crispy on the outside. The key is getting the daikon to flour ratio just right so the cake is tender and moist, not tough. It is a classic dim sum appetizer dish I make every Chinese New Year, and it tastes so much better than the restaurant version.
Recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/chinese-turnip-cake/
Have you eaten turnip cake?
Yes, and I liked it
Yes, and I didn't like it
No
I haven't heard of it
cooking round-up: chinese new year 2025
i wasn't able to do my usual chinese new year cooking this year because i was traveling, so enjoy last year's feast instead!
turnip cake [萝卜糕] (recipe: the woks of life), pan-fried plain and with xo sauce
crispy scallion ginger salmon (recipe: the woks of life), served over rice
pea tips stir-fry (recipe: the woks of life)
longevity noodles [伊面] (recipe: the woks of life)
sweet red bean soup [红豆汤] (recipe: the woks of life), served with blood orange slices
Turnip Cake English Muffin with Soft Scrambled Egg.
No, it is not a sandwich.
Is it a sandwich?
Yes
No
lunar new year foods
In the last Chinese New Year post we talked about some of the traditions that accompany the new year's celebrations. We did not, by any means, cover all of them. A quarter of the world's population celebrate the Spring Festival and that's a lot of room for a lot of different traditions. For this post, I'd like to talk about some of the dishes eaten for the festival that have meanings that go a little deeper than simply being tasty, though they are that as well. I am not going to be able to mention all of them so I hope that everyone feels absolutely free to include them in the notes, tags or reblogs.
One can never have too many delicious food suggestions.
Let's start off with a familiar one. In many parts of Northern China, dumplings are front and center when it comes to meals. This is because the Chinese symbol for dumpling 饺子 sounds like 交子. 交 means 'exchange' and 子 is 'midnight'. So this play on word-sounds means to exchange the old with the new at midnight. In some areas the stuffing in the dumplings needs to be egg for prosperity in the coming year. The dumpling itself is reminiscent of silver ingots and the egg therefor adds gold to things as well. Alternately, you can add meat and bamboo strips which will make sure that everything you will need in the coming year will come your way. Don't use anything pickled however as this might lead to a difficult future. And lastly, don't forget to add a coin or a long thread to one of the dumplings. Whoever is lucky enough to find the coin will have good fortune and the thread is for long life (as long as no one chokes on it!).
Don't forget the fish either. The symbol for fish sounds a great deal like the symbol for 'extra'. Make sure to eat the middle of the fish but not the head or the tail. This will help you finish everything you start, from 'head to toe (well, tail)' so to speak. Also you shouldn't eat the whole fish in one sitting. Stretch it out into two meals so that your prosperity and extra will stretch out for the whole year as well. Have a business you want to thrive? Add red peppers to the cooking fish. Not only is red a lucky color, the spiciness of the meal will lead to a lively future for your business as well.
Nian gao is a must. Originally reserved for the gods and ancestors as offerings, these rice cakes have since become a tasty treat for everyone. Gao sounds like the word for 'higher'. Hence, if you want to go higher in the new year, you've got a very good reason to tuck into these delicious cakes.
You also want to keep an eye out for turnip cakes. They're made of shredded Chinese radish. 'Radish' sounds similar to 'good luck and fortune' so this is a tasty way to bring exactly that into the new year. These cakes are especially popular on the seventh day of the festival as a reminder that the goddess Nu Wa created humans on the seventh day.
Don't turn up your nose at unprepared food either. Oranges, kumquats and tangerines have a golden color that is sure to bring in prosperity in the coming year. Peaches will bring longevity and health. Muskmelon and grapefruit symbolize family and hope. And if you want a large family, start eating pomegranates.
Happy Chinese New Year's Eve! Annual CNY lunch tradition: Mom's making fried turnip cake! My favorite food. 😋 Sound on for that sizzle! // (c) Jenny Lam 2024
lo bak go - turnip cake (x)
Turnip Cake (萝卜糕) 🥕
