Turnip cake

Radish cake
Alternative namesTurnip cake, chai tow kway, carrot cake
CourseDim sum, yum cha
Place of originEast and Southeast Asia
Region or stateSouthern China (Chaoshan, Guangdong, Hong Kong), Taiwan, Singapore, Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia
Associated cuisineChinese
Main ingredientsShredded daikon radish, plain rice flour
Variationspan fried, steamed, stir fried
  •   Media: Radish cake
Turnip cake
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese蘿蔔糕
Simplified Chinese萝卜糕
Literal meaningradish cake
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinluóbo gāo
IPA[lwǒpwokáʊ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationlòbaahk gōu
Jyutpinglo⁴ baak⁶ gou¹
IPA[lɔ˩pak̚˨kɔw˥]
Chai tow kway
Traditional Chinese菜頭粿
Simplified Chinese菜头粿
Hokkien POJchhài-thâu-kóe,
chhài-thâu-ké
Transcriptions
Southern Min
Hokkien POJchhài-thâu-kóe,
chhài-thâu-ké
Teochew Peng'imtshài-thâu-kué
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUCchái-tàu-guōi
Second alternative Chinese name
Chinese菜頭粄
Transcriptions
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳchhoi-thèu-pán
Burmese name
Burmeseအော်ကေ့ကျီ
IPA[ɔ̀kḛʧì]
Vietnamese name
Vietnamesebánh củ cải
Thai name
Thaiขนมผักกาด
RTGSkhanom phak kat

Radish cake, turnip cake or chai tow kway is a Chinese dish made of steamed rice flour and shredded daikon radish often served as dim sum. It is traditionally called carrot cake in Singapore, but has no relation to European carrot cake. Radish cake is commonly served in Cantonese and Teochew (Chaoshan) yum cha, usually cut into rectangular slices and sometimes pan-fried before serving. Each pan-fried cake has a thin crunchy layer on the outside from frying, and is soft on the inside, whereas the steamed version is soft all over. Often served with a soya-oyster dipping sauce, it is one of the standard dishes found in the dim sum cuisine of China and is widely consumed in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam, as well as in overseas Chinatown restaurants. In Southeast Asia, the cakes are often chopped into smaller cubes and stir fried with additional ingredients.