How Many Calories in Lo Bak Go?

Pan-fried radish cake with a crispy edge and soft middle. More rice flour and oil than actual radish.

300kcal / 1 plate (3 pieces)

A plate of 3 pan-fried lo bak go (radish or turnip cake) is about 300 calories. Despite the name, it is mostly rice flour with shredded radish, bits of dried shrimp and lap cheong, then pan-fried in oil to crisp the edges. The pan-frying is where a chunk of the calories comes from. Steamed and uncrisped, the same cake is lighter.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 plate (3 pieces) (210g)	Amount	Per 100g
Calories	300 kcal	143 kcal
Protein	6 g	3 g
Carbs	40 g	19 g
Fat	13 g	6 g

Where the calories come from

Radish and rice-flour cake (3)180g

230 kcal

Dried shrimp and lap cheong15g

40 kcal

Pan-frying oil15g

30 kcal

The real talk

Lo bak go sounds healthy because it has radish in the name bro, but do not be fooled. The base is rice flour, not vegetable. The radish is shredded in for flavour and texture, but the bulk is starch. Then they pan-fry it in oil so the outside goes golden and crispy, and that oil is calories you cannot see.

A plate of 3 is around 300 calories, and most people order it crispy because that is the good version. If you want it lighter you can ask for it steamed rather than pan-fried, but honestly the crispy edge is half the reason to eat it. Just know what you are getting and count it as a carb-and-oil dish, not a veg.

How the portions compare

100 kcal

1 piece

300 kcal

Plate of 3 (pan-fried)

220 kcal

Plate of 3 (steamed)

How to eat it lighter

Ask for it steamed instead of pan-fried if you want to cut the oil. You lose the crispy edge but save 60 to 90 calories a plate.
Go light on the sweet chilli or XO sauce on the side. It adds up quickly across a plate.
Treat it as your carb, not a side. A plate of radish cake plus dumplings means you do not need rice or noodles too.

Common questions

Is lo bak go healthy?

It is mostly rice flour rather than radish, so it is more of a carb dish than a vegetable. Steamed it is reasonable, but the popular pan-fried version adds oil that pushes a plate of 3 to around 300 calories.

How many calories in radish cake?

About 100 calories per piece pan-fried, so a typical plate of 3 is around 300. Steamed and uncrisped, each piece is closer to 70, making a plate about 220.

Is turnip cake the same as radish cake?

Yes. Lo bak go is translated as both turnip cake and radish cake, but it is made with Chinese white radish (daikon), not turnip. The nutrition is the same whichever name the menu uses.

Go Deeper

Read the full dim sum calorie guide: what to order and skip →

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical hawker or kopitiam serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

New to all this? Read how I went from 128kg to 86kg without cutting rice →