Dishes · A classic of Teochew · Singapore and Malaysia, from a Chaoshan radish cake
Fried carrot cake
Also Chai tow kway, Chye tow kway, Chai tau kueh, Fried radish cake
Steamed white radish and rice-flour cake, cut into cubes and fried with egg, garlic and preserved radish — 'white', or 'black' with sweet soy.
What makes it fried carrot cake
A steamed cake of grated white radish and rice flour — no carrot.
Cut up and fried in lard or oil until browned, with egg beaten through.
Garlic, preserved radish and spring onion; fish sauce to season.
Where it comes from
The 'carrot' is white radish: in Teochew, chai tow means radish, and the steamed radish-and-rice cake, chai tow kueh, is an old Chaoshan snack, sliced and pan-fried. Teochew hawkers in Singapore and Malaysia are usually credited with chopping it up and frying it with egg in a wok, probably in the early to mid-twentieth century.
It became one of Singapore's best-loved hawker breakfasts, argued over in two camps: white, crisp with egg, or black, glossy with sweet dark soy.
How it varies
White
Fried until crisp, with an egg crust.
Black
Fried with sweet dark soy, soft and sticky.
Chaoshan chai tow kueh
The steamed cake sliced and pan-fried on its own, the older form.