Recipe: Chinese Turnip Cake (a.k.a Lo bak gou/ 萝卜糕)

Having spent my last two Chinese New Years in the UK, to say that I've missed the CNY food would be an understatement. I miss the cookies, the cakes, bakkwa (chinese version of meat jerky), reunion dinner, mandarin and most importantly, Chinese turnip cake. Now that I have some spare time in hand, I have decided to make some for my family to get everyone into the Chinese New Year mood.

Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, I was really happy with the end product. My tip for this recipe is to put some salt on the shredded turnip to release the water so as to get rid of the bitterness of the turnip. As for frying, you could pan fry it straight without the powder, but I prefer coating it with some rice flour just to make it extra crispy.

On with the recipe!

For ingredients, you will need: 

• 400g Chinese turnip/ Daikon radish (grated)
• 300g Rice flour
• 30g Tapioca flour
• 2 tablespoons Dried shrimps (soaked, dried and chopped)
• 5-6 Chinese mushrooms (soaked, and chopped)
• 1 Chinese sausage
• 7-8 Dried anchovy (ikan bilis)
• 800ml Water
• 1 tbsp Garlic (diced)
• 2 tbsp Red onion (diced)
• 3 tbsp Oil
• 2 tbsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp White pepper
• 1 tsp Sesame Oil

Wash the anchovies and boil with water in low heat for 15 minutes to make a stock. Set aside to cool. Grate the Chinese turnip, mix with 1 tbsp of salt. Let it rest until liquid comes out. Remove the turnip from the liquid and lightly dry it with a paper towel.

 Dice up the mushrooms, garlic, red onion, sausage, and dried shrimps.

Mix the rice flour, tapioca flour, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 white pepper together. Pour in half of the stock and mix well into a batter.

Heat your pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of cooking oil, add in the garlic and red onion, stir fry for 2 minutes.

Add in mushrooms, sausage, and dried shrimps into the pan, stir fry for 5 minutes.

Add in the turnip and the other half of the stock, season with soy sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and sesame oil, cook for another 2 minutes.

Turn your pan to low heat, pour the batter into the pan. Keep on stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens.

Pour the mixture into a oiled loaf pan, steam over high heat for 1 hour.

Remove pan from steamer and let it cool for 30 minutes.Gently loosen the sides and turn the cake out onto a chopping board.

Cut it into even pieces, lightly coat each cake with a thin layer of rice flour.

Add 1 tbsp of oil and pan fried both side of the turnip cake in medium-low heat until golden brown.

Serve with Thai chilli sauce, sriracha or Oyster sauce.

Enjoy and Happy Chinese New Year in advance!

Turnip cake (Lo bak gou/ 萝卜糕)

Recipe by Ashley Ooi

Delicious Chinese turnip cake.

Prep time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients

• 400g Chinese turnip/ Daikon radish (grated)
• 300g Rice flour
• 30g Tapioca flour
• 2 tablespoons Dried shrimps (soaked, dried and chopped)
• 5-6 Chinese mushrooms (soaked, and chopped)
• 1 Chinese sausage
• 7-8 Dried anchovy (ikan bilis)
• 800ml Water
• 1 tbsp Garlic (diced)
• 2 tbsp Red onion (diced)
• 3 tbsp Oil
• 2 tbsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp White pepper
• 1 tsp Sesame Oil

Cooking Directions

1. Wash the anchovies and boil with water in low heat for 15 minutes to make a stock. Set aside to cool.
2. Grate the Chinese turnip, mix with 1 tbsp of salt. Let it rest until liquid comes out. Remove the turnip from the liquid and lightly dry it.
3. Dice up the mushrooms, garlic, red onion, sausage, and dried shrimps.
4. Mix the rice flour, tapioca flour, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 white pepper together. Pour in half of the stock and mix well into a batter.
5. Heat your pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of cooking oil, add in the garlic and red onion, stir fry for 2 minutes.
6. Add in mushrooms, sausage, and dried shrimps into the pan, stir fry for 5 minutes.
7. Add in the turnip and the other half of the stock, season with soy sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and sesame oil, cook for another 2 minutes.
8. Turn your pan to low heat, pour the batter into the pan. Keep on stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens.
9. Pour the mixture into a oiled loaf pan, steam over high heat for 1 hour.
10. Remove pan from steamer and let it cool for 30 minutes.
11. Gently loosen the sides and turn the cake out onto a chopping board.
12. Cut it into even pieces, lightly coat each cake with a thin layer of rice flour.
13. Add 1 tbsp of oil and pan fried both side of the turnip cake in medium-low heat until golden brown.
14. Serve with Thai chilli sauce, sriracha or Oyster sauce.

Eat-Ying around the world : The best stroopwafels in Amsterdam!

Imagine waking up in a cold winter morning, the weather was surprisingly pleasant, so you get ready, with a camera in hand and map in your pocket, you walk out your rented apartment and slowly snail through the stairs so steep that you could barely see the next step. Just when you open the main door, a strong and crisp wind rushes through your hair, reminding you to take a brush or wear a hat out the next day. It was cold, almost too cold to walk on the street, but heck, "you are in Amsterdam", you thought to yourself. And so you walked, stopping once in a awhile to capture the beauty of the city, houses so aligned with windows looking like an enormous chocolate bar the size of your bed, naked trees by the river that become the perfect match for the colorful water houses, pondering upon why you aren't living here for good. You walked leisurely, stumbling upon unique cafés and occasionally cursing yourself for not having a better look out whenever a cyclist broke the traffic law and have decided that it is okay to almost run you over (kidding. But not really). 

Across the street, you see a market. "Albert Cuyp" you silently read. Croaking a faint smile, you walk into the street, knowing exactly what you are going to find in this seemingly never ending market. From locals enquiring the freshness of vegetables, to the minimal tourist attempting to bargain their way through a cheaper 'I love Amsterdam t-shirt', the market has almost everything you could think of. Suddenly, a lovely cinnamon-y scent rush through your nostril, as if it is daring you to find where it is hidden. It lead you to a petite food truck, 'traditional family recipes' printed on one of its walls, you increase your pace, heart beating slightly faster. That's when you see it, a small but striking checked red and blue flag sticking out of the truck, words printed so bright that you could almost feel your heart skip a beat by reading it:

'Stroopwafels'. 

Okay, maybe that was too much of a dramatic introduction, but oh man, ooh man, stroopwafels, oh stroopwafels, why art thou so addictive? It almost feels like a sin to not share this to the world, because I am not talking about any random kind of stroopwafels. Forget about the ones you get in the supermarkets, the ones you get in the souvenirs store, or the ones you get in the airport (believe me I have tried them all). No no, I am talking about the Original Stroopwafels in the Albert Cuyp Market in Amsterdam.

Look at it, how glorious. 

Imagine getting it fresh from the rather dashing owner of the store. The stroopwafel is slightly warm to touch, but perfect for the biting cold weather. It is as big as the size of a baby's face, and you are secretly proud of yourself for ordering the chocolate covered version (because everything is better with chocolate). The owner helpfully remind you to eat from the non chocolate covered part towards the chocolate, "for the ultimate experience", he said with a croaked smile. You obeyed, finally biting into it. As if the buzzing street has gone silent and everything moves in slow motion, cinnamon scented steam warmly hugs your face, crumbly waffle that breaks with each bite, warm and gooey caramel oozes out, slightly staining the napkin and your fingers. Then comes the chocolate, its bittersweet taste fills your palate, not overly sweet nor bitter, you silently appreciate the fact that it doesn't annoyingly stick to your teeth like the ones you have tasted before. With a moan you roll your eyes because that is the moment you realise that you are never going to accept other stroopwafels anymore. 

Oh wow, I am back. 

I am not kidding when I say that it was the best stroopwafel I have had so far. My sister and I liked it so much that we went back the next day and bought 3 packs to bring back home for future cravings healing session. If you have the opportunity to visit Amsterdam, do stop by and get one (or many more, no one is judging) for yourself so that you can brag about it when you get back home. 

You can find the stall in the middle of the Albert Cuyp Market in Amsterdam, just in front of the famous Amsterdam restaurant Bazar, located at number 182. Every stall in the market has its own number, and you will need to find stall 134. When in doubt, trust your nose and follow the smell. 

For more details of the history or contact information of Original Stroopwafels, visit their Official website.

If you would like to see the stroopwafels in action, check out Eat your Kimchi's take on it, they've made a video!

And there it is, my first post about my favorite food in Amsterdam. If you have tried it before, feel free to leave a comment below sharing your story, and if you have not, I would love to know where was your best stroopwafels experience! 

Love, 

Ashley 

Let the Journey Begin!

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She had short hair, glasses hanging on her rather chubby face, wearing jeans and t-shirt that could barely fit her, and just by looking at her, people would know that she was a fan of food. She would slurp on the freshly cooked noodles with no regards to the repercussion, indulge in the scrumptious pizza covered with gooey cheeses having zero care towards what people say behind her back, because she was simply in love. She was in love with the idea of how magical a few ingredients could turn into something so lovely, and how a simple plate of food could make her feel so warm and fuzzy. 

And yes, she was me. 

Growing up, it was a struggle to fit in, because I looked different, heck, I felt different. I was beyond self-conscious to the point that I would just shut down and hide myself in my imaginary black-hole, while auto piloted through conversations with people. And so I have stopped that little girl, I've stopped her from eating, and I've stopped her from loving.

And here we are, to the present me. Even though I look different now, deep down I know that little girl is with me, only this time, the adult me is holding her hand, promising her that we will continue on our foodie journey, in the appropriate manner. That is why I started this blog, to share with you our love for food, our foolproof recipes, newly discovered must-eat places, and maybe help you in getting through that dreadful late night cravings without feeling ultra guilty the next day. 

So take my hand, and let's go Go GO!