Instant Pot Turnip Cake Recipe – Bánh Củ Cải / Lo Bak Go

February 10, 2021Van
Blog post

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Serves: Two 7-inch Turnip Cakes

My mom has been making Bánh Củ Cả (Turnip Cake / Radish Cake) for Tết, Vietnamese Lunar New Year since I was a kid. It’s a popular dish for Tết and you’ll also find it at dim sum restaurants all year long. It’s a savory rice cake made with daikon, pork, shitake mushrooms & shrimp. I’ve always looked forward to eating it, I  loved how she would pan fry them so they were slightly crispy and still soft on the inside. I’m sharing my mom’s recipe that I’ve  converted for the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Turnip Cake Recipe - Bánh Củ Cải / Lo Bak Go

Instant Pot Turnip Cake Recipe - Bánh Củ Cải / Lo Bak Go

Instant Pot Turnip Cake Recipe - Bánh Củ Cải / Lo Bak Go

Instant Pot Turnip Cake Recipe - Bánh Củ Cải / Lo Bak Go

Instant Pot Turnip Cake Recipe - Bánh Củ Cải / Lo Bak Go

Instant Pot Turnip Cake Recipe - Bánh Củ Cải / Lo Bak Go

Instant Pot Turnip Cake Recipe - Bánh Củ Cải / Lo Bak Go

Instant Pot Turnip Cake Recipe - Bánh Củ Cải / Lo Bak Go

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Turnip Cake Recipe - Bánh Củ Cải / Lo Bak Go

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 1 hour
  • Serves: Two 7-inch Turnip Cakes

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Ingredients

  • 16 oz Rice Flour
  • 1.75 Pounds Daikon Radish, shredded fine
  • .75 Pound Pounds Pork Butt Roast, cut into 1 inch slices
  • ¼ Cup Dried Shrimp
  • 3 Dried Shitatke Mushrooms
  • 4 Garlic Gloves, finely minced
  • 4 Chinese Celery Stalks, stems only, chopped fine
  • 1 Tablespoon Oil
  • 1½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
  • 1½ Teaspoon Granulated Sugar
  • ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • ¼ Teaspoon MSG, or substitute with salt
  • 4¼ Cups Water

Method

  • 1)

    In a large pot, add 4¼ Cups of Water and ½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt – bring to a boil and cook Pork Butt for 10 minutes with the pot covered. Turn off the heat, remove the pork shoulder and reserve the cooking water and set aside to cool. Chop the pork shoulder finely into ¼-⅓ inch pieces.

  • 2)

    Place ¼ Cup Dried Shrimp & 3 Dried Shitatke Mushrooms into a heat safe bowl and cover with boiling hot water, let them soak for 20 minutes. Drain well and finely chop the shrimp and mushrooms and set aside.

  • 3)

    In a non-stick pan, add 1 Tablespoon of Oil use medium heat and sauté the minced garlic until it starts to lightly brown. Add chopped Shitake Mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute. Turn up to high heat, add chopped Dried Shrimp, chopped Pork Shoulder, 1 Teaspoon Salt, 1½ Teaspoon Sugar, ½ Ground Black Pepper, ¼ Teaspoon MSG and sauté for 3 minutes.

  • 4)

    Add 16 oz of Rice Flour and into the pot of reserved cooking water, stir well until there are no lumps. Add the shredded Daikon, meat mixture and chopped Chinese Celery and stir well to combine.

  • 5)

    Line the bottom of two 7 inch cake pans with parchment paper and divide the batter between the two pans, place one of the pans into the refrigerator. Add 1½ Cups of Water to the Instant Pot, place the trivet into the pot and place 1 pan into the pot, seal the lid and choose High Pressure for 1 Hour. When the timer is up, switch the knob to venting to release the steam. Once the pin drops, open the lid and lift out the cake pan. Make sure there’s 1½ Cups of water in the pot and cook the second pan. Let the cooked Turnip Cake cool completely and refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour so it firms up slightly.

    **You can also use a larger pan and steam covered on the stovetop using med-high heat for 1 hour.

  • 6)

    Run a pairing knife around the pan and flip to turn it out. Slice into ⅓-½ inch slices, then cut into rectangular shapes. Add 1 Tablespoon of Oil to a non-stick pan, use medium heat and fry the turnip cake pieces until they are lightly golden on both sides, serve immediately. You can enjoy them plain or dip them in a little bit of soy sauce or sweet soy sauce. If you have leftovers, wrap well with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months (defrost before frying).

↓ Supplies to make this recipe ↓

 










2 Comments

  • Jen

    February 13, 2021 at 5:31 am

    How would I make the plain version?

    1. Van

      March 9, 2021 at 4:03 pm

      Hi Jen, you can make this plain by omitting the meat and other veggies and just add the seasoning directly to the daikon & rice flour mixture.

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