Lunar New Year Special Turnip Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Chinese turnip cake made of? ›

To prepare a turnip cake, roots of Chinese radish are first shredded. Chinese radish, either the white-and-green variety or the all-white variety, is one of the key ingredients since it makes up a large portion of the cake. The other key ingredients are water and rice flour.

“White radish is also called 'choi tau' or 'cai tou' in some areas of China, which sounds like the words for 'good luck' in Chinese. So it's an auspicious cake,” says Siu Yan Ho, a food culture and Chinese etymology expert at Hong Kong Baptist University.

Turnip cake is an auspicious food for the new year because in Chinese, the word for cake (糕 gāo) is a hom*ophone for “rise” or “tall.” In Taiwanese, the word for radish (菜頭 chhài-thâu) is a hom*ophone for “good fortune.” But in Taiwan, its popularity extends beyond Lunar New Year.

Extra moisture can loosen the batter, making it soggy and too soft. Two, there may not be enough chunks of radish compared to grated radish. The thicker, chunkier radish is added to give the turnip cake more texture, of course along with all the meats, seafood, and mushrooms.

What does it taste like? Turnip cake is a wonderfully savoury dish. The lo bak has a slightly bitter taste on its own but this doesn't come through. Instead, you get a lovely crunch on the outside and a soft and delicious flavour on the inside.

Twill cakes

The traditional pastries symbolize wealth and prosperity and come in three colors: red, yellow, and white. Red twill cakes symbolize love and auspiciousness and are filled with red beans wrapped in a delicious rose-colored puff pastry crust.

A dish enjoyed mostly in Southern China, turnip cake is essentially a simple dish consisting of—as its Cantonese name suggests—“Lok Bak” (radish) and “Goh” (cake). White radish, rather than turnip referred to in its English name, is used as the main ingredient, while the cake part is made with rice flour and water.

Nian gao, or 'year cake', is a sticky rice cake which represents prosperity; the words 'nian gao' sounds like 'getting higher year on year', and this symbolises raising oneself taller in each coming year.

The symbolism of cake

Cake holds a deep symbolic meaning in birthday celebrations. It represents the joy and sweetness of life, and blowing out the candles is seen as a way to make a wish for the upcoming year. The act of cutting and sharing the cake with loved ones also symbolizes sharing happiness and good fortune.

Oranges, kumquats, tangerines and pomelos are common Chinese New Year food gifts because they're believed to bring good luck and happiness. The Chinese words for orange and tangerine closely resemble the words for luck and wealth. The gold color also symbolizes prosperity. Far from family for this year's celebrations?

What does eating an orange on new year's do? ›

In Asian cultures it is believed that eating oranges and honey on New Year's Eve will bring good fortune, wealth and money. Having an orange with the stem and leaf attached is also believed to bring a long life and fertility.

"Longevity" noodles are a traditional Chinese New Year food served as a symbol of longevity in life. Traditionally the noodles are prepared as one continuous strand signifying a long life ahead. Longevity noodles are not only served as a traditional Lunar New Year food but also on special occasions such as birthdays.

Why does my cake have a gummy streak in the center? Developing too much of the flour's gluten can make the cake rise beautifully in the oven, but sink as soon as you pull it out. The sinking part is what makes the dense and gluey streaks. This can be result of over-creaming the eggs, butter and sugar.

If you mix incorrect measurements of sugar, butter, and eggs, the cake will become rubbery. You will notice that you have overmixed, the batter when the dough produces a smooth or watery texture. When the dough is overmixed, the air bubbles trapped in the mixture will be lost.

The ratio of wet to dry ingredients determines a cake's moisture level. If there's simply too much flour and not enough butter, a cake will taste dry. On the other hand, if there's too much milk and not enough flour, a cake will taste too wet. Finding the right balance between wet and dry ingredients is key.

Chinese turnip is globular and tan colored, although the inner flesh is white and crisp texutred, like daikon. The flavor of the Chinese turnip is milder than daikon, closer to a water chestnut, although not as sweet, than a radish.

The Chinese turnip, or lo bak, is a long, white vegetable with a green top. I've always been confused by this, but I believe they're interchangeable with Japanese daikon radishes (they could very well be the same vegetable!).

The Mandarin equivalent is luo bo—but in some parts of China, daikon radishes are actually called turnips. In South Asian countries, daikon is often called mooli. And because daikon can withstand cold temperatures, the crop is sometimes referred to as winter radishes.