Chai tow kway (carrot cake)
Photo: Ruth Ellison from Canberra, Australia · CC BY 2.0

History

Chai tow kway (literally 'radish cake') is the Teochew Singaporean street-food classic, brought by Teochew immigrants from Chaoshan in the 19th century. The 'carrot cake' name is a translation curiosity; daikon was called 'white carrot' in old Chinese. The two versions, white (just stir-fried) and black (with sweet dark soy), are equally canonical and the choice splits Singapore down the middle. Hawker stalls at Maxwell, Newton and the Old Airport Road serve the reference versions.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Soy, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • For the radish cake (prepare ahead): 1kg daikon (white radish), peeled and finely grated
  • 300g rice flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1L water
  • For frying (per portion): 80g pork lard or vegetable oil
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons chye poh (preserved sweet radish), chopped
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 tablespoons dark sweet soy (for the black version) or 1 tablespoon light soy (for the white)
  • 2 tablespoons sambal chilli sauce
  • 2 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • Cilantro to garnish

Method

  1. Make the radish cake: combine the grated daikon, salt, white pepper and 500ml water in a wok. Cook 10 minutes over medium heat until the daikon is translucent.
  2. Whisk the rice flour with the remaining 500ml water to a smooth slurry.
  3. Slowly pour the rice flour slurry into the daikon, stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken to a heavy paste in 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Tip into a greased 22cm square tin, smooth the top. Cover with foil.
  5. Steam over a wok of boiling water for 50 minutes. Insert a skewer; it should come out clean.
  6. Cool completely, then refrigerate 3 hours until very firm.
  7. Turn out and cut into 2cm cubes. Pat dry.
  8. Heat the lard in a hot wok. Add the radish cake cubes; pan-fry 4 to 5 minutes until each cube has crisp golden faces.
  9. Push the cubes to one side. Add garlic and chye poh; fry 30 seconds.
  10. For the white version: pour the beaten eggs over, let them set for 10 seconds, then toss with the radish cake. Splash with light soy.
  11. For the black version: pour the dark sweet soy over, toss to coat, then add the beaten egg and toss again until the egg sets in shreds.
  12. Stir through sambal and fish sauce. Tip onto a plate.
  13. Scatter spring onion and cilantro. Serve hot.

Tip from the editors. The radish cake must be made a day ahead and chilled hard before cubing; warm cake breaks up in the wok.

Where to eat chai tow kway (carrot cake)

Chai tow kway (carrot cake) in Singapore

Maxwell Food Centre ★ 4.7

$ S$3 to S$8 per dishStreet foodChinatown

Singapore's most visitor-friendly hawker centre for budget eating, with 100 stalls covering Chinese, Indian and Malay dishes under one roof. Tian Tian chicken rice at S$5 to S$7 is the anchor; Zhen Zhen porridge and the economy rice stalls bring a full meal under S$6. No service charge, no GST on hawker food.

TipWeekday mornings before 11am and late afternoons after 3pm are the quietest periods. Tian Tian chicken rice opens at 10am and regularly sells out before 3pm.

Directions

Chinatown Complex Food Centre ★ 4.6

$ Street foodChinatown

Singapore's largest hawker centre with over 200 stalls and 24-hour access, making it the most reliable late-night eating option in Chinatown. Several roast meat and congee stalls run through the night; the broad selection available after midnight sets it apart from other hawker centres that close earlier.

TipThe 24-hour stalls thin out between 3am and 7am; the most reliable late-night options are the roast meat and economy rice sections.

Directions

Old Airport Road Food Centre ★ 4.8

$ S$4 to S$10 per dishStreet foodEast Coast

Singapore's most revered hawker centre by local food obsessives, with over 150 stalls serving dishes that have earned Michelin recognition at prices that remain within hawker norms. The Nam Sing Hokkien mee (S$5 normal, S$8 medium) and the Bib Gourmand-listed Lao Fu Zi char kway teow are the headline draws; dozens of secondary stalls offer equally good eating at S$4 to S$6.

TipReopened after upgrades in late 2024. Best arrived before noon; most stalls close by 9pm. The centre is large enough to justify a thorough lap before ordering.

Directions

Tiong Bahru Market ★ 4.8

$ CafeTiong Bahru

Tiong Bahru Market (Cafe) in Singapore: Hawker stalls open from 6am; most close by 2pm. The wet market opens at 5am. Best on weekday mornings before 10am.

Why locals goTiong Bahru visitors typically go to the specialty coffee and bakery strip; the market one street over is barely mentioned in most visitor guides.

TipHawker stalls open from 6am; most close by 2pm. The wet market opens at 5am. Best on weekday mornings before 10am.

Directions

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