Chinese Turnip Cakes (Lo Bak Go)

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1. 1Step 1: In a bowl, soak dried shiitake mushrooms and dried shrimp in 2 cups hot water. Cover the bowl.
2. 2Step 2: In the meantime, prepare the aromatics and cured meats. Chop everything into small dices.
3. 3Step 3: Peel the turnip. If it's not fresh, peel a bit deeper. Peel until you see the translucent part of the turnip because the opaque white part can often be fibrous. Shred half the turnip with a grater (the one with larger holes), then slice the other half into small matchsticks or cubes.
4. 4Step 4: If your turnip has a lot of excess water, you can use this liquid towards the 2 cups room temp water that mixes with the rice flour and cornstarch.
5. 5Step 5: Once shiitakes and shrimp are rehydrated (20-30 min), squeeze out the water, remove mushroom stems, and finely dice. Save the mushroom soaking liquid.
6. 6Step 6: To a measuring cup, add the mushroom soaking liquid, and fill it to 2 cups total with additional water. We'll be cooking the turnips in this later.
7. 7Step 7: To make the flour mixture, mix the rice flour, cornstarch, and 2 cups room temp or cold water until there are no lumps.
8. 8Step 8: In a large nonstick pan or wok on medium heat, add 2 tbsp neutral oil. Once warm, add the aromatics and dried shrimp. Stir fry for 1-2 min.
9. 9Step 9: Add the cured meats and shiitakes. Stir fry for another 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove everything from the pan and set aside.
10. 10Step 10: Add all of the turnip and the 2 cups of mushroom liquid + water. Increase the heat to bring it up to a boil. Season with salt, white pepper, chicken powder, sugar, and sesame oil. With the liquid gently boiling, cook the turnips for 4-6 minutes or until the turnip turns from opaque to translucent (you can also taste one of the matchsticks to be sure it's cooked through — it should be fork tender but not mushy).
11. 11Step 11: Add back the stir-fried cured meats and aromatics, but save about 1/3 cup to top the turnip cake with. Mix well.
12. 12Step 12: Give the flour + cornstarch mixture a stir to ensure there are no lumps, then add it in 2-3 batches, mixing it very thoroughly with each addition. The turnip mixture should be thick (like very thick mashed potatoes), sticky, and not runny. If there's still a lot of moisture, keep stir frying with heat until it gets very thick. This step is important because if it's too wet here, it will be mushy even after steaming.
13. 13Step 13: Lightly grease two 6-inch round cake pans (springform works best) or 1 large pan with oil. Make sure it's a pan that you can fit in your pan or steamer with the lid on.
14. 14Step 14: Fill the pans with the turnip mixture, pressing down lightly to remove any air pockets. The turnip cake should be about 2-3 inches tall. With the back of a wet spatula, smooth down the top.
15. 15Step 15: Top the cake with the leftover stir-fried cured meats and aromatics, and press them in gently.
16. 16Step 16: Steam for 45-60 min, depending on the height of your turnip cake (the taller the cake, the longer it needs to steam). Remember to periodically check if the water needs refilling. Once a chopstick pokes through the cake cleanly, it's ready!
17. 17Step 17: Top with cilantro, scallion greens, and sesame seeds. Let the cake cool before enjoying.
18. 18Step 18: For best results, put the cake into the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours (and up to 8 hours for my preference) to let it firm up. Slice into squares, then pan fry on medium with a bit of neutral oil on both sides until golden brown. Enjoy!!