Chinese Turnip Cakes (港式臘味蘿蔔糕) is one of my family’s favorite savory treats. We do order them at Dim Sum restaurants from time to time. But those from the restaurants are usually lack of “filling” ingredients inside. Of course, I rather make my own at home, especially around this time of the year. Yes, Chinese New Year is approaching fast. It falls on February 19th this year and it’ll be the “Year of Goat”. These Chinese Turnip Cakes are wonderful treats to share with friends and family. I’ll tell you why in just a minute.
To make these Chinese Turnip Cakes, I cooked the ingredients on the stove to make the batter. Then, they are steamed in disposable loaf pans (think about easy transportation and minimal clean up) . When ready to serve, cut them into slices and pan fry them until the edges are golden and slightly crispy. Chinese Turnip Cakes are usually served with Hoisin Sauce, a slightly sweet and savory Chinese BBQ sauce and chili sauce, if you like it spicy. The inside is tender and packed with shreds of turnips. You can also see and taste the Chinese sausage, Chinese bacon, dried scallops and mushroom throughout each bite.
It’s quite a bit of work to make these Chinese Turnip Cakes but absolutely worth it. There are many specialty food, savory dishes or sweet treats, made just for the Chinese New Year. These special treats often have special meanings, for good health, wealth and/or good luck for the new year. Rice/turnip cakes are one of the "must have" treats during the CNY because the pronunciation of “Cake” in Chinese (糕) sounds exactly like "growth (taller)". These turnip cakes symbolize growth and improvement for the year to come.
Now, you know why these are the best to share with friends and family for the celebration. I hope you’ll make a few loaves and share. What is your favorite treat to enjoy for special occasions? Do you have other Chinese New Year “must have” that you make at home? I would love to hear from you.
Props and Tools used in this post:
Assorted Floral Chopsticks (Click here to see similar product)
Roll Up Window Blinds used as backdrop (Click here to see product information)
Crane Chopsticks Rest (Click here to see product information)
Small White Soy Sauce/Chili dish (Click here to see similar product)
Bamboo Placemats (Click here for more information)
Disposable Loaf Pans (Click here for more information)
Wheat Starch (Click here for more information)
Rice Flour (Click here for more information)
Chinese Sausage (Click here for more information)
Chinese Bacon/Cured Pork Strips (Click here for more information)
Dried Shrimps (Click here for more information)
