Crispy and flaky Chinese-style pastry filled with delicious savory shredded radish/turnip filling. This is one of the popular items on the dim sum menu you can certainly make at home.
What is a shredded turnip/radish puff?
This popular Cantonese dim sum dish is made with shredded radish/turnip (daikon if you ask me) cooked in savory umami seasonings and then wrapped in Asian-style flaky laminated layers puff pastry. The pastry is deep-fried to crispy perfection.
I first learned about this dim sum radish puff when we were in New York City. There are so many dim sum restaurants in NYC alone. That’s enough reason for me to love NYC 🙂 When I looked at their dim sum menus, I saw these radish puffs. We all loved them so much after trying them out. So here’s my effort trying to make them at home. I would say they turned out really good too!
How to make Dim Sum radish puff
1. Cut the radish into thin strips. Finely chop the soaked dried shrimp. Dice the bacon into little pieces
2. Preheat a large wok/pan. Add 2 Tbsp cooking oil. Add the dried shrimp and diced bacon and stir fry until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the shredded radish along with the seasonings.
4. Cook until the radish is soft but not mushy. Add the tapioca starch slurry and continue to stir fry until mixture is no longer wet. Have a taste and adjust to your preference. Set aside to cool down. You can also make this the day before and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use them
5. Combine all ingredients for water dough in a mixing bowl. Mix into a rough dough. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes
6. Meanwhile, prepare the oil dough. Mix all the ingredients and knead them into a soft dough. Wrap with a cling wrap to prevent it from drying out. Go back to the water dough and give it a few knead. The dough should be smooth now. Wrap with a cling wrap and put this and the oil dough in the fridge for one hour
7. Get the dough out from the fridge. Lightly dust your work surface with some flour. Take the water dough out and flatten slightly with your palm and then use a rolling pin to roll out from the center and out to form a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches, just a rough estimation.
8. Then roll out the oil dough about 5 x 5 inches.
9. Put this on top of the water dough. Fold the water dough over to form a package
10. Then roll out this package again into a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches. If you feel some resistance, rest the dough for 10-15 minutes and then try to roll again
11. Then fold 1/3 of the dough over from the left, and fold 1/3 of the dough from the right. Now you have a long rectangle
12. Rotate 90 degrees and roll it out again into 12 x 14 inches rectangle. Rest the dough as needed if it fights you back
13. Dust your work surface as needed to prevent sticking. Fold 1/3 of the dough from the right and another 1/3 from the left again
14. Roll the dough out to 12 x 30 inches. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick.
15. Brush the surface of the dough with some water. Then roll up tightly from the short side to form log.
16. Pinch the seam to seal. Place the seam side down on the counter.
17. Use a serrated knife to cut into 5 equal pieces.
18. Then cut each piece into half again on the long side, the layers should run parallel to your knife. Cover the dough to prevent them from drying out
19. Take one dough at a time. Roll the dough out into about 4-5 inch circle (it doesn’t have to be exactly a circle). Scoop about 1 -2 Tbsp of the filling to the center of the dough.
20. When you gather the side to enclose the dough, make sure the pattern of the laminated layers runs vertically (look at the toothpick in the photo).
21. Pinch to seal the dough. You want to make sure they seal well or the filling will leak out when you fry them. Use a kitchen shears to trim off the excess edges so it looks neater. Really pinch the seam to seal one more time.
22. Then place the seam side down and tap it on the counter a few times so the bottom is slightly flattened so it can “sit” properly. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling
23. The oil temperature is very crucial. If it’s too hot, the pattern won’t appear after frying. Preheat about 3 inches of oil in a medium-size heavy-bottom pan/pot over low-medium heat. When you put your hand over to feel the heat of the oil, it should just feel warm. If you put a skewer in, there should NOT be any bubbles around it. If there are bubbles, the oil is too hot. Lower the heat first and wait
24. Put the radish puffs in, about 3-4 at a time. The oil shouldn’t bubble because it’s just warm at this point
25. After about 3-4 minutes you will start seeing tiny bubbles start to form, you can up the heat a little bit to medium to let the oil gradually heats up
26. When the radish puff starts to turn slightly pale golden brown, up the heat a bit more so that they fry into nice golden brown. Remove from the heat to an absorbent paper towel. Repeat with the rest and remember to start with warm oil, not hot!! You may have to wait for the oil to cool down to just warm before frying the next batch
Did you make this dim sum radish puff recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
The recipe is adapted from Maggie Lee’s! It’s a great recipe for sure!
Dim Sum Shredded Turnip/Radish Puff
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 300 gr peeled radish
- 20 gr dried shrimp soak in warm water until softened
- 2 thick-sliced bacon diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp chicken stock
To thicken:
- 1 tsp tapioca flour
- 1 Tbsp water
Water dough:
- 160 gr all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 35 gr icing sugar
- 80 gr water
- 45 gr butter (softened)
Oil dough:
- 140 gr cake flour
- 70 gr butter (softened)
Instructions
Cook the filling:
- Cut the radish into thin strips. Finely chop the soaked dried shrimp. Dice the bacon into little pieces
- Preheat a large wok/pan. Add 2 Tbsp cooking oil. Add the dried shrimp and diced bacon and stir fry until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the shredded radish along with the seasonings. Cook until the radish is soft but not mushy. Add the tapioca starch slurry and continue to stir fry until mixture is no longer wet. Have a taste and adjust to your preference. Set aside to cool down. You can also make this the day before and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use them
Make the dough:
- Combine all ingredients for water dough in a mixing bowl. Mix into a rough dough. Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes
- Meanwhile, prepare the oil dough. Mix all the ingredients and knead them into a soft dough. Wrap with a cling wrap to prevent it from drying out
- Go back to the water dough and give it a few knead. The dough should be smooth now. Wrap with a cling wrap and put this and the oil dough in the fridge for one hour
Laminating the dough:
- Get the dough out from the fridge. Lightly dust your work surface with some flour. Take the water dough out and flatten slightly with your palm and then use a rolling pin to roll out from the center and out to form a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches, just a rough estimation. Then roll out the oil dough about 5 x 5 inches. Put this on top of the water dough. Fold the water dough over to form a package
- Then roll out this package again into a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches. If you feel some resistance, rest the dough for 10-15 minutes and then try to roll again. Then fold 1/3 of the dough over from the left, and fold 1/3 of the dough from the right. Now you have a long rectangle. Rotate 90 degrees and roll it out again into 12 x 14 inches rectangle. Rest the dough as needed if it fights you back
- Dust your work surface as needed to prevent sticking. Fold 1/3 of the dough from the right and another 1/3 from the left. Roll the dough out to 12 x 30 inches. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick. Brush the surface of the dough with some water. Then roll up tightly from the short side to form log. Pinch the seam to seal. Place the seam side down on the counter. Use a serrated knife to cut into 5 equal pieces. Then cut each piece into half again on the long side, the layers should run parallel to your knife. Cover the dough to prevent them from drying out
Fill the dough:
- Take one dough at a time. Roll the dough out into about 4-5 inch circle (it doesn't have to be exactly a circle). Scoop about 1 -2 Tbsp of the filling to the center of the dough. When you gather the side to enclose the dough, make sure the pattern of the laminated layers runs vertically (look at the toothpick in the photo). Pinch to seal the dough. You want to make sure they seal well or the filling will leak out when you fry them. Use a kitchen shears to trim off the excess edges so it looks neater. Really pinch the seam to seal one more time. Then place the seam side down and tap it on the counter a few times so the bottom is slightly flattened so it can "sit" properly. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling
Frying:
- The oil temperature is very crucial. If it's too hot, the pattern won't appear after frying. Preheat about 3 inches of oil in a medium-size heavy-bottom pan/pot over low-medium heat. When you put your hand over to feel the heat of the oil, it should just feel warm. If you put a skewer in, there should NOT be any bubbles around it. If there are bubbles, the oil is too hot. Lower the heat first and wait
- Put the radish puff in, there shouldn't be any bubbles at this point.After about 3-4 minutes you will start seeing tiny bubbles start to form, you can up the heat a little bit to medium to let the oil gradually heats up. When the radish puff starts to turn slightly pale golden brown, up the heat a bit more so that they fry into nice golden brown. Remove from the heat to an absorbent paper towel. Repeat with the rest and remember to start with warm oil, not hot!! You may have to wait for the oil to cool down to just warm before frying the next batch
- Serve while they are warm
