Grandma's Loh bak koh (white radish cake)

Chinese New Year is tomorrow.   My grandma used to make Loh Bak Koh (white radish cake) for Chinese New Year.  My dad would fry it for our breakfast on Chinese New Year day.   I am so happy that I managed to learn from grandma how to cook this recipe which my whole family love.   I even kept her steaming tray and has been using this to cook each time.  I miss you, "Mama"!

Well I am keeping this tradition.  As such, I like to share our family recipe with all of you.

 INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Kg white radish
• lard (optional) but grandma said it taste better
• 300 gm pork or chicken (sliced into cubes) or lup cheong (chinese sausage)
• 100 gm dried prawns
• sliced mushroom (presoak)
• 500 gm rice flour
• 500 ml water
• salt, pepper 
• 5 spice powder (optional)

 METHOD

1) Dice lard & meat .  Marinade meat with 1/2 tsp salt & pepper & 1/2 tsp 5 spice powder (optional)
2) Grate the white radish. Squeeze out the water to eliminate the bitterness.
3) In a mixing bowl, put in the rice flour and add in water. Mix till smooth.  Add 2 tsp of salt, pepper and chicken stock (My grandma put ajinomoto)
4) Heat up wok and put in lard and cook till golden brown.  Then add in dried prawns and stir till fragrant.  Add in your meat.  Continue to fry till cooked.  Add in the soften mushroom.

5) Add in radish and keep stirring until radish is soft well mixed.
6) Pour in the flour mixture and keep stirring.
7) Keep stirring till mixture is well combined.  Be careful on fire, do not burn.
8) Pour mixture into a steaming tray. Steam for 90 minutes

You can store this in fridge nicely wrapped.  Then cut out portion that you need and slice into squares.  Pan fry before serving.  Goes well with some chilly sauce.