Chai Tow Kway
Cubes of steamed radish cake, pan-fried with egg and preserved radish until crisp at the edges. Order it white or dark with sweet soy.
- prep
- 40 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total
- 1 h
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Chai tow kway gets called "carrot cake" in English, which confuses almost everyone the first time. There is no carrot in it at all; it is white radish, steamed into a soft cake, then cubed and fried until crisp.
White or dark is an actual choice at the stall, not a minor variation: white skips the sweet soy sauce for a cleaner, saltier result, dark adds it for something sweeter and stickier. Decide which one you want before you start cooking.
Part of our 20 best Singapore recipes list.
method
Simmer the grated radish with 200 ml of the water for 10 minutes, until softened. Mix the rice flour with the remaining 200 ml water until smooth, then stir it into the radish.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture thickens into a soft, translucent paste. Season with the salt.
Pour the mixture into a lightly oiled shallow dish or pan, about 4 cm deep, and smooth the top. Steam over high heat for 30 to 35 minutes, until firm and set all the way through.
Let the radish cake cool completely, ideally for a few hours, then turn it out and cut it into 2cm cubes.
Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the garlic and preserved radish for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the radish cake cubes and fry, pressing down occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden and crisp on several sides.
Push the cubes to one side, crack in the eggs, and let them set slightly before breaking them up and tossing through. Add the fish sauce, and the dark sweet soy if making the dark version.
Scatter over the scallions and serve hot with chili sauce on the side.
chef's tips
- The radish cake needs to cool completely, for a few hours or overnight, before you cut and fry it. Warm cake falls apart instead of holding its cube shape.
- White versus dark is a real choice, not a technicality. White skips the sweet soy and tastes cleaner and more savory; dark is sweeter and stickier. Order, or make, whichever you actually prefer.
- Press the cubes down in the pan and leave them alone for a stretch instead of constantly stirring. That is what builds the crisp, golden crust.
- Making the radish cake from scratch takes real time. Pre-made radish cake from an Asian grocer is a legitimate shortcut if you just want to get to the frying.