Luo Bo Gao
Origin: Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Story
My mother taught me how to cook this side dish.
History
Luo bo gao emerged in Guangdong Province as part of the broader Cantonese dim sum tradition, where humble rice flour and daikon radish—a winter staple—were combined with cured pork, dried shrimp, and mushrooms to create an umami-rich savory cake. The dish became especially significant during Lunar New Year, as the Cantonese word for cake (gao) is a homophone for "high," signaling prosperity and good fortune.
The Taiwanese variant followed an unusual path. After the 17th-century Qing takeover of Taiwan, the exiled Ming loyalist Zhu Shugui bequeathed farmland to local farmers, who secretly venerated him at his grave with radish-cake offerings—a practice passed down through generations until the end of Qing rule in 1895. Once this clandestine tradition could be practiced openly, eating radish cakes spread rapidly throughout Taiwan, becoming embedded in Taiwanese family cooking and Lunar New Year tables. Taiwanese versions tend to be firmer and less heavily filled than their Hong Kong cousins, reflecting local preferences for a more prominent radish flavor.
Meanwhile, Teochew (Chaoshan) immigrants carried their rice-cake traditions to Southeast Asia, where radish was later incorporated, creating the chai tow kway and fried carrot cake variants that dominate Singapore and Malaysia today. Across all these regions, the dish remains a Lunar New Year staple and a year-round dim sum favorite, marking both cultural continuity and regional adaptation.
Ingredients
- Daikon radish, peeled and shredded 1.5 lbs
- Regular rice flour: 1.5 cups
- Cornstarch or wheat starch: 1 tablespoon
- Water: 1 cup
- Chinese sausage: 1 link, finely diced
- Scallions: 2 stalks, finely chopped
- Salt: 1 teaspoon
- Sugar: ½ teaspoon.Ground white pepper: 0.25 teaspoon
- Neutral cooking oil: 2 tablespoons.
Instructions
- Prepare Mix-ins and Slurry
- Drain the rehydrated shrimp and mushrooms, then finely dice them along with the sausage.
- Whisk the rice flour, cornstarch, and ¾ cup of water in a bowl until smooth.
- Cook the Aromatics
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté the sausage, shrimp, and mushrooms for 4 minutes until highly fragrant.
- Stir in the scallions and remove the entire mixture from the pan.
- Simmer the Radish
- Add the shredded daikon and ¼ cup of water to a saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Cook for 15 minutes until the radish turns translucent and soft.
- Stir in the salt, sugar, and white pepper.
- Combine into a Paste
- Turn the heat down to low.
- Pour the cooked meat and mushroom mixture back into the pan with the radish.
- Give the flour slurry a quick stir, then slowly pour it into the hot radish mixture.
- Stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes until it thickens into a heavy, gluey paste.
- Steam the Cake
- Grease an 8-inch loaf pan or cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Pack the thick paste into the pan and smooth down the top surface evenly.
- Set up a steamer over boiling water, place the pan inside, and cover tightly.
- Steam on high heat for 40 to 45 minutes until firm and set.
- Chill, Slice, and Pan-Fry
- Remove the pan from the steamer and let it cool completely to room temperature.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight, to let it completely firm up.
- Invert the pan to unmold the cake and slice it into ½-inch thick rectangles.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Fry the slices for 3 minutes per side until beautifully browned and crisp.
- Serve hot with oyster sauce, chili oil, or hoisin sauce.