Cook the Book Asian Fried Turnip Paste

From Recipes [Photograph: Caroline Russock] Asian Fried Turnip Paste might just be the most unappealing recipe title ever. Turnips? (Those pale root vegetables that have never won me over?) And paste, more of a minty glue substitute than a food. Honestly, it sounded horrible until I looked at the photo accompanying the recipe— a beautiful plate of perfectly fried turnip cakes garnished with fresh cilantro leaves and finished with soy sauce. I would have ordered it in a heartbeat at dim sum, never considering to ever make it at home. But venturing outside of my comfort zone is one of my great joys in the kitchen and this recipe from The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson seemed to fit the bill. The scent of steaming turnips combined with copious amounts of grated ginger and dried mushrooms makes for a pungent and unfamiliar kitchen aroma, and combined with water chestnuts, chiles, and scallions, my kitchen might as well have belonged to someone else. But at the same time it was very exciting. The paste went into the steamer (or my rice cooker as the case may be) and I waited to see if this mix of unfamiliar ingredients would gel. After the paste steamed and cooled in the refrigerator, I sliced it into wedges and fried it in sesame oil. The…