There might perhaps be a dish in Cantonese cuisine known as turnip cake. Then there is a dish with turnip cake, chopped into cubes, and trot-fried with bean sprouts, scallions, some diversified veggies and most steadily peanuts. I’m pretty certain this latter dish was as soon as a leftover invention. The very finest turnip cake (which is fully made of radish but I’ll gather to that later) individually is seared to an incredible crisped floor, and is delicate and level-headed on the inner, like glutinous mashed potato, with chunks of radish and minced dried diminutive or Chinese sausage. If uneaten in this stunning declare, the leftover turnip cake firms up a diminutive bit, becomes drier and most steadily wants a take. I believed I’d make clear this latter dish, only with slices of proper turnip as a replacement of the cake.
Attributable to the unhappy thing is that turnip cake, as powerful as I admire it, is de facto complicated to develop yourself. First, it’s no longer a candy but savory snack and glide, it’s most steadily made of mostly shredded daikon radish and rice flour. I’ve supplied blocks of the stuff from Chinese grocery shops — perfectly rectangular, processed, and somewhat disappointing — to slice up and pan-fry at house. But it completely’s true no longer the the same. I’ll attach that experiment in house cooking for a wet day. On an strangely keen and sunny day this spring, then as soon as more, this simplified dish was as soon as very fleet to develop, and thrifty.
a crimson-topped turnip no extra
my extra or much less turnip cake pieces: true turnip
I’ve been having a diminutive bit like affair with the turnip as of late. Ever since it melded into a savory risotto, I’ve begun to understand at it in a novel gentle — now no longer the sharply bitter orb that smelled of acetone and desired to be cooked eternally to weaken. If cooked a diminutive bit, and with some carmelization, it’s delightfully spicy, peppery and candy. (Or even I true sprinkled a diminutive bit too powerful white pepper on my turnip rounds whereas they were pan-searing. I’m no longer obvious, the colour suits too successfully.)
No longer to indicate, turnips are restful cheap, and spring vegetables haven’t made terribly powerful headway yet. I’d within the foundation desired to personal a manufacture of spring vegetable trot-fry with these turnips, so I got some snow peas and scallions in Chinatown. In the customary notion additionally was as soon as to thinly slice some shiitake mushrooms, but after eating them up for these ricotta canapes, the final solid of veggies in this trot-fry came the entire plan down to: julienned carrots, snow peas, sliced button mushrooms, new ginger and broccoli… stems.
Broccoli stems genuinely work mighty in an utility like this — slivered and trot-fried gently. The Chinese are step by step sly to utilize up broccoli stems by shucking its tricky outer pores and skin and tossing pieces of the stem into dishes; it has a satisfying crisp-delicate texture and a neutral, if a diminutive bit cabbagey flavor that absorbs whatever flavors are spherical it. I as of late heard that some producers are shredding up stems and selling it packaged as “broccoli slaw.” Whatever, I’m ample with eating “stems” although that sounds unappetizing, or appears to be like much less fit to be eaten or something. One much less thing for the compost.
ginger, carrot and broccoli stem matchsticks
As that it’s seemingly you’ll guess, the ingredient checklist in this dish is rather malleable. Bean sprouts might perhaps possibly well be tremendous, and shiitakes fabricate voice a terribly savory flavor distinct from accepted button mushrooms — instructed. However the one thing I wouldn’t skip is the brand new ginger. Perfect a diminutive bit bit to every batch. It genuinely provides freshness and zing. That and presumably the peanuts, for crunch and the plan in which it appears to be like to tie the entire ingredients together. Indirectly, I forgot to toss within the chopped scallions at the live of making this recipe so the photograph at prime bears none… wouldn’t counsel that transfer.
The most palatable portion about this dish for me was as soon as discovering how tasty seared turnips were. I pressed mine down within the middles a diminutive bit bit whereas cooking to make sure that they browned evenly, and it’s preferrred to support the warmth down after that preliminary sear to prevent them from burning as you’ll are looking to give them some time on the pan to soften (reckoning on how thick your slices are).
Hope it turns up in your kitchen! (Wow. Somebody personal shut me to the corn factory.)
Seared Turnips and Leftover Vegetable Trek-Fry
(makes about 3-4 servings or various aspect-dish sized parts)
3 diminutive turnips, peeled and sliced to ½-plug rounds
1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned to matchsticks
1-2 broccoli stems, tricky pores and skin trimmed and julienned to matchsticks
about 1 cup snow peas, coarsely chopped
3-4 new shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon-sized knob of ginger, peeled and julienned
½ cup roasted peanuts, gently beaten
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and white pepper to style
In a skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons of the oil over a medium-high flame. Organize the turnip rounds in a single layer on the pan (working in batches if predominant). Sprinkle with salt and white pepper. Cook till flippantly browned on the bottom. Flip, season the diversified aspect, and cook till browned on each facets, about 6 minutes. Add extra oil to the pan if it becomes dry and decrease heat if turnips are starting to burn throughout the perimeters.
Pick turnips from pan and declare aside. Warmth the final tablespoon of oil over medium-high. Add the ginger, carrots, broccoli stems and shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring every so frequently, about 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and cook one more 1 minute. Season with salt and white pepper to style. Add the peanuts, toss as soon as extra, and personal from heat. Organize on a plate with the turnip rounds and abet suddenly.
Price Calculator
(for about 3-4 servings)
3 diminutive turnips (at $1.25/lb): $1.05
1 carrot (at $3/receive): $0.20
2 broccoli stems (at $3/each stems and crowns): $0.50?
1 cup snow peas (at $3.50/lb): $1.30
3-4 shiitake mushrooms (at $3 for a 1/4 lb): $1.00
1/2 cup peanuts: $0.75
knob of ginger, vegetable oil, salt and pepper: $0.25
Total: $5.05
Effectively being Element
Three brownie capabilities: A obvious-fire impress that spring is form of here, although no longer its harvest: I’m eating extra healthy! I are looking to lose the tire spherical my waist till subsequent wintry weather’s gluttony. Or develop it final. Anyway, white turnips personal a host of alphabet dietary vitamins as well to a few calcium and protein (buffering that argument about white veggies, presumably).
Inexperienced Element
Four maple leaves: This one wasn’t so on point, for obvious. Whereas toying with white turnips harvested support within the fall/wintry weather, I invited some non-local, non-seasonal veggies into the mix, like these snow peas. More than seemingly the fourth point goes to the use of up broccoli stems, as a replacement of tossing them out.