Similarly, taro roots are substituted with daikon to make another popular new year festive dim sum item, wu tao gou (taro cake). As Singaporeans call radish a white carrot, chai tow kway is popularly known as fried carrot cake or carrot cake in countries like Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia. It originates from the Chaoshan region in Guangdong Province in China and is known as chao gao guo. Steamed radish cake is cut into small cubes, stir-fried with eggs, preserved radish, and other seasonings to make the popular Singaporean street food, chai tow kway. Yum Cha, the Cantonese tradition of having brunch with dim sum dishes and tea, always includes lo bak gao as part of the spread. Turnip cakes are commonly consumed as part of the breakfast item, and the local restaurants serve this as part of the dim sum menu. As radish looks like a white carrot, turnip cake is also known as carrot cake in Singapore. The recipe does not have turnip, and instead, the main ingredient in this cake is lo bak or luo bo, which is an equivalent of the Japanese daikon radish.Īlternatively, but not often, it is also known as daikon cake or radish cake, or luo bo gao (蘿蔔糕) in Mandarin. Lost in translation, the English name ‘turnip cake’ is a misnomer. Lo bak gou has its roots in Guangdong (popularly known as Canton) province of Southern China. Along with luo bo gao, it is customary to make nian gao, glutinous sticky sweet rice cake, which symbolizes prosperity. Hence the belief that cake (the batter rises while cooking) brings good luck and fortune. In this context, 高 – gāo signifies growth/success/rising. In Mandarin, the characters ‘糕’ (gāo) and ‘高’ (gāo meaning high or tall) are homophones (same pronunciation but different spellings). It is common for the Chinese to attribute symbolic meanings to food. There is an interesting theory behind the practice of making cakes on the eve of Chinese New Year and other auspicious occasions.
Gāo is a collective noun that refers to savory or sweet dishes that are steamed. In Chinese cuisine, making gāo, loosely translated into English as cake, is a big part of the Chinese New Year celebration feasts. It is then steamed, sliced, pan-fried, and served as part of the dim sum menu in all Cantonese restaurants. The turnip cake or lo bak gou in Cantonese is a Chinese dim sum that includes radish, rice flour, and other flavoring ingredients like dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, dried shiitake mushrooms, and ham.
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