• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Missing Lokness

Easy Everyday Recipes

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • So-Cal Travel Guide
  • Privacy Policy

Pan-Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce

February 28, 2018 By Lokness 3 Comments

Pan-Fried Turnip Cake is delicious on its own, but it’s another level when stir-fry with XO sauce! The sauce has a deep umami flavors with a little kick. Combine with the sweet turnip cake and crunchy bean sprouts, you will not stop eating after taking one bite! 

Turnip cake is an essential Chinese New Year food in Hong Kong and most Southern part of China. Most families would either make their own or buy some from restaurants. Lucky for my sister and I, my mom would make a few batches every year. Some were given to my uncles and the rest were for ourselves. Since I only got to have my mom’s cake once a year, I looked forward to it very much. In recent years, I use my mom’s recipe and make my own.

Turnip cake is very tasty, but after eating it (whenever you make turnip cake, you make a lot) for a week, it can get a little boring. Here is XO sauce to the rescue!

XO sauce is one of the most luxury Chinese condiments. It is mainly made with dried scallops, dried shrimps, chili peppers, shallot and garlic. Some add Chinese dried ham (Jinhua ham) as well. A jar of XO sauce is not cheap. For my 7.8-ounce jar, I spent US$17. But once you try it, you won’t regret spending the money. It has a deep savory and umami flavor with a little kick. It can be put on pretty much anything. They are especially good in fried rice, noodles and vegetables.

Pan-fried turnip cake with XO sauce is a quite well-known dim sum dish, but only some restaurants sell them. XO sauce and turnip cake are excellent match. They don’t take away from each other flavors, but make each other even better. In this dish, you get the savoriness from the sauce, the sweetness from the turnip cake, the crunchiness from the bean sprouts and the freshness from the green onion. There are so much flavors going on, and you just can’t get enough of. Bryan and I just couldn’t stop eating. It was that GOOD! This dish makes a great main course for dinner. I serve it with a side of vegetables. Since there is starch in the turnip cake, you don’t need rice or anything.

If you don’t have time to make your own turnip cake, you can get pre-made one in Chinese supermarkets. They sell them all year long!

Pan-Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce #dimsum #breakfast #xosauce #turnipcake #turnip #chinesefood | The Missing Lokness
Print Pin

Pan-Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce

Course Dinner
Cuisine Hong Kong
Keyword chinese new year, dim sum, hong kong, stir-fry, turnip cake, xo sauce
Servings 2 servings (as main course)
Author Lokness

Ingredients

  • 5 ounces bean sprouts
  • 1½ pounds turnip cake (cut into 1-inch cubes) 
  • 1 garlic clove (minced)
  • 4 tablespoons XO sauce
  • 3 green onion (cut into 1-inch length)
  • Vegetable oil

Instructions

  • For the bean sprouts, remove the roots and leaves with fingers or scissors. Rinse the sprouts under water and drain. Set aside.
  • In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Cook the turnip cake cubes in 2 batches and pan-fry until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a large plate.
  • In the same pan, add the bean sprouts and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Transfer to a sieve to drain.
  • In a wok or large skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic and XO sauce. Stir for a minute. Add turnip cake. Mix well and cook for 1 minute. Add bean sprouts and green onion. Stir for 3 more minutes. Taste and add more xo sauce if desired. Transfer to serving plates. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. If using homemade turnip cake, do not make this dish for the first 3 days. It's better to let the turnip cake sit in the fridge to harden. It will help to keep the turnip cake intact when pan-frying. 
  2. If you do not have time to make your own turnip cake, you should be able to find some in Chinese supermarket.
  3. Turnip cake can be a bit delicate and soft. Flip carefully when cooking.
  4. The XO sauce I bought is from Lee Kum Kee. They have 2 versions. One regular and one extra hot. I got the regular. There are other XO sauce brands out there. It’s always a good idea to taste your sauce before using. You may have to adjust the amount you use depends on the brand and its spicy/salty level.

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Filed Under: Cook, Stir Fry Tagged With: bean sprout, Chinese New Year, dim sum, hong kong, stir-fry, turnip cake, xo sauce

Previous Post: « Homemade Sesame Glutinous Rice Dumplings (Tang Yuan)
Next Post: Rabokki (Korean Ramen & Rice Cakes) »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. 17 Turnip Recipes That Are Anything but Boring - crazyforus says:
    September 25, 2018 at 10:05 am

    […] THE MISSING LOKNESS […]

    Reply
  2. 2018 Top 6 Recipes | The Missing Lokness says:
    December 31, 2018 at 10:46 am

    […] Pan-Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce – This is a dish you can find at many dim sum places. Stir fried sweet turnip cake with […]

    Reply
  3. Recipes For Chinese New Year (Over 60 recipes!) - Drugstore Divas says:
    January 17, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    […] • Pan-Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hello there!

Welcome! I'm Lokness. Currently live in Los Angles. Grew up in Hong Kong. Obsessed with chocolate & ice cream. Cooking is something I love. This is where I share my stories and recipes. Want to know more? Click here.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Popular Posts

  • Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding (From Scratch) Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding (From Scratch) #magnoliabakery #copycatrecipe #banana #pudding #bananapudding #partyfood #nilawafer #dessert #dessertrecipe | The Missing Lokness Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding (From Scratch)
  • Hong Kong Style Borscht Soup #soup #hongkongfood #vegetables #beefbone #borschtsoup | The Missing Lokness Hong Kong Style Borscht Soup
  • Easy Sushi Bake #sushibake #hawaiianrecipe #imitationcrab #avocado #easyrecipe #furikake #seaweed #dinner #dinnerrecipe #appetizer | The Missing Lokness Easy Sushi Bake
  • Mendocino Farms Curried Couscous with Roasted Cauliflower #sidedish #pastasalad #couscous #curry | The Missing Lokness Mendocino Farms Curried Couscous with Roasted Cauliflower
  • Double Chocolate Blueberry Muffins

missinglokness

🍩 Recipe Developer & Food Lover (I cook & eat around the city!) 🐹 Animals Lover 🏠 Los Angeles🌴(From HK 🇭🇰)

York is a charming little city filled w/ history. York is a charming little city filled w/ history. Romans, Saxons & the Vikings were all here at one point. I love walking through The Shambles. Narrow street w/ timber-framed buildings & cobblestone road. It felt like we went back in time. It resembled Diagon Alley in Harry Potter too! 

1) The Shambles
2) Harry Potter themed store in The Shambles
3) Clifford’s Tower
4) Steak and Guinness Pie at Rose & Crown
5) Castle prison in York Castle Museum
6) Smoked salmon w/ poached eggs at Rise
7) York Minster 
8) The Bar Walls (York City Walls)
9) Yorkshire pudding at Forest
Our 1st pub & Sunday roast experience! Our friends Our 1st pub & Sunday roast experience! Our friends Michelle & James took us to their favorite local pub. Nice & cozy. I think I understand a bit more why British loves pubs. It’s a really comfortable hang out place. The food was incredible! We both got the roast beef sirloin. It came w/ a giant Yorkshire pudding & lots of flavored roasted veggies. Sticky toffee pudding was perfect! There is no better way to start our Great Britain trip. 

🌟The Holly Bush
📍 22 Holly Mount, London NW3 6SG, United Kingdom
We’re getting some crazy winter weather. It’s We’re getting some crazy winter weather. It’s cold, rainy & even hailing. Craving for something comforting, then I’m reminded of this Hong Kong Style Macaroni Soup w/ Ham. Light chicken broth w/ macaroni & ham. Ready in under 20 minutes. Brings me right back to Hong Kong!🍲

Recipe link in profile ⬆️ #ontheblog #TheMissingLokness

https://www.themissinglokness.com/2023/02/23/hong-kong-style-macaroni-soup-with-ham/
Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Strawberry-Rose Cream. Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Strawberry-Rose Cream. I was inspired by our recent Maine trip to create these. Moist chocolatey cake rounds filled w/ a slightly tart strawberry buttercream & a hint of rose. They’re fun little treat for Valentine’s Day. Btw, these are freezer friendly too. Keep a few at room temp, & freeze the rest. There’ll be plenty of desserts in the coming month.😉

Recipe link in profile ⬆️ #ontheblog #TheMissingLokness

https://www.themissinglokness.com/2023/02/09/chocolate-whoopie-pies-with-strawberry-rose-cream/
Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Eggs Croissants - great Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Eggs Croissants - great for busy mornings! Toasted croissants w/creamy eggs, tangy sour cream & smokey salmon. Easy & filling! 🥐

Recipe link in profile ⬆️ #ontheblog #TheMissingLokness

https://www.themissinglokness.com/2023/02/02/smoked-salmon-and-scrambled-eggs-croissants/
Happy Year of the Rabbit (& Cat)!🐰🐱 May this Happy Year of the Rabbit (& Cat)!🐰🐱 May this new year brings you good fortune, happiness & prosperity. Gong Hei Fat Choy! 
恭喜發財! 龍馬精神! 好事連連! 萬事如意!

The food in the picture is sweet glutinous rice dumplings w/ black sesame 落湯糍(糯米糍). The word “糍” sounds similar to “錢”, so the dumplings represent money. Eating them will bring you lots of wealth! 

The dumplings are chewy & gooey like mochi. Coated in black sesame seeds. Right before eating, dip them in sugar. Perfect sweet treat for the new year! 

Recipe link in profile ⬆️ #ontheblog #TheMissingLokness

https://www.themissinglokness.com/2013/02/13/sweet-glutinous-rice-dumplings-with-black-sesame/
We just can’t get enough of @somisomiicecream! T We just can’t get enough of @somisomiicecream! Their soft serve is creamy, yet not too sweet. Lots of choices too, like ube, matcha, black sesame etc. The taiyaki is crispy on the outside & filled w/ goodness, like Nutella, red bean & custard. My only wish is that they open a store in the San Gabriel Valley, so we don’t have to travel far every time!😆

🌟 Somi Somi (Many locations in CA)
📍 9828 Garden Grove Blvd #105, Garden Grove, CA 92844
2022 is coming to an end! It has been a much bette 2022 is coming to an end! It has been a much better year for me personally. We traveled a bit more (Denver, Monterey, Maine, & Boston) & ate lots of incredible food. I’m drooling just thinking about some of the food. Also, my parents flew in from HK. We finally got to see each other after 3 years. We spent time together & attended my sister’s wedding. And we all finally got covid. It’s looking like things are getting back to normal. I truly hope it is! 

For the blog, although I didn’t post many recipes this year, they’re recipes that I would use again & again. For the Top 6 recipes of 2022, swipe to see what recipes they are! ➡️ The bonus last picture is my favorite pick of the year! 

I can’t wait until 2023, because we’ll be heading to the UK very soon! 

Happy 2023! 

For top 6 ranking & direct links of recipes, visit my blog.⬆️ #linkinprofile #TheMissingLokness 

https://www.themissinglokness.com/2022/12/30/2022-top-6-recipes/
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · The Missing Lokness · Privacy Policy

 

Loading Comments...