White Turnip Pudding Cake (Lo Bok Go)

White Turnip Pudding Cake (Lo Bok Go)
Recipe from Rhoda Yee’s Dim Sum.

Makes: one 9-inch round cake

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups finely diced Chinese turnip (lo bok) – about ¾ of one large turnip
2 ¼ cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup dried shrimp
1 cup barbecued pork
2 tablespoons salted turnip, minced (preserved with salt and garlic)
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup green onions, chopped
½ cup cilantro
2 cups Swans Down cake flour (no substitute)

Preparation:

1. Soak dried shrimp for 1 hour, then finely dice after draining.

2. Bring diced turnips, 2 tablespoons oil and 1 cup chicken broth to a boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until turnip is soft. Do not drain liquid.

3. Heat wok and add 2 tablespoons oil and stir fry diced shrimp for 1 minute, then add diced pork, salted turnips, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 cup each of the green onions and cilantro. Set aside.

4. Mix 2 cups of Swans Down cake flour with 1 ¼ cup of chicken broth until smooth. Add stir fried mixture and the boiled turnip, including the remaining liquid in the pot. Mix well. Pour mixture into 9 inch cake pan.

5. Set cake pan over steam rack in wok. Cover. Bring water to a boil and turn heat to simmer. Steam for ½ hour or longer until cake is set. Sprinkle remaining green onions and cilantro over cake. Cool for at least ½ hour before cutting.

6. Cut into ½-inch thick slices and pan fry with a little oil until the outside is browned and crunchy. Serve immediately with oyster sauce.

Do-ahead Notes: Can be made ahead and frozen. Reheat by thawing first, then cut in thin slices and pan fry.