[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":406},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:chai-tow-kway":3,"recipe:country:singapore":191},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"emoji":9,"summary":10,"intro":11,"story":12,"whyThis":13,"tips":18,"substitutions":25,"variations":38,"serveWith":48,"storage":50,"faq":51,"equipment":67,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":73,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":77,"diet":80,"mainIngredients":84,"ingredients":88,"instructions":142,"nutrition":173,"images":179,"keywords":183,"publishedAt":189,"updatedAt":189,"authorSlug":190},"chai-tow-kway","Chai Tow Kway (Singaporean Fried Radish Cake)","菜头粿","chai-tow-KWAY","singapore","🥘","Cubes of steamed daikon and rice flour cake fried hard with egg, garlic and salty preserved radish until the edges blister crisp and the middles stay custardy.","Chai tow kway is a hawker-stall breakfast of steamed radish cake — grated daikon set with rice flour into a soft white block — cut into cubes and fried in a screaming wok with garlic, chopped preserved radish and beaten egg. Done properly, each piece has a lacquered crisp shell and a middle that is almost custard, and the egg fries into brittle lace that binds the pile together. The flavour is savoury and garlicky with sharp salty bursts from the chai poh. Singaporeans call it carrot cake in English, which is a translation problem rather than a recipe problem: the local name for daikon is white carrot, and there is no carrot and no cake anywhere in it.","The dish is Teochew, carried to Singapore and Malaysia by immigrants from the Chaoshan region of Guangdong, where steamed radish cake is standard dim sum and new year food. What changed on the way south was the wok work. In Singapore the cake stopped being a steamed snack served in slices and became a stir-fry: cut into rough cubes, pressed hard against the metal until the starch caramelises, and bound with egg. Stalls specialising in it are a fixture of every hawker centre, usually run by families who have made nothing else for decades.\n\nThere are two versions and people are firm about which they order. White is the original: no dark sauce, seasoned with light soy and pepper, so the taste is clean radish and garlic and the crisp edges are pale gold. Black came later and is credited to a hawker who started adding sweet dark soy sauce — molasses-thick kecap manis — which coats the cubes in glossy near-black caramel and turns the dish sweet-savoury. Black is more popular with children and tourists; white is the one that shows whether the cook can actually control a wok, because there is nowhere for a soggy cube to hide.\n\nHome cooks face one real obstacle, which is heat. A hawker wok runs at a temperature no domestic hob reaches, and that is what gives the cubes their blistered shell in under a minute. The fix is not a hotter stove but a change of tactics: use a heavy pan, fry in batches, and above all steam and chill the cake a day ahead so it is firm and dry enough to take colour instead of collapsing. A freshly steamed, still-warm cake will smear into porridge no matter how good your pan is.",[14,15,16,17],"Cooks the grated daikon down first, so the cake sets firm instead of weeping water and turning gluey.","An overnight chill is built into the timing — it is the difference between crisp cubes and mush.","Both the white and black hawker styles from one base, with the sauce added at the right moment for each.","Batch-frying instructions that work on a normal home hob rather than assuming a hawker wok.",[19,20,21,22,23,24],"Squeeze nothing — cook the grated daikon in its own liquid until translucent, then use that liquid in the batter. It carries all the flavour.","Chill the steamed cake uncovered overnight. A cold, dry-surfaced cake browns; a warm one disintegrates.","Cut the cubes big, around 3 cm. Small pieces have too much surface and break apart before they crisp.","Rinse and chop the preserved radish, then dry-fry it alone for a minute before anything else goes in — it should smell toasty, not just salty.","Press the cubes flat with the back of the spatula and then leave them alone for a full minute. Constant tossing is why home versions never crisp.","For the black version add the sweet dark soy only after the cubes are already browned, or the sugar burns bitter before the crust forms.",[26,30,34],{"original":27,"swap":28,"note":29},"Preserved radish (chai poh)","Chopped pickled mustard greens, or capers rinsed and patted dry","Neither is traditional but both supply the salty-sour pop the dish needs. Add a little extra salt if you use capers, which are milder.",{"original":31,"swap":32,"note":33},"Sweet dark soy sauce (for the black version)","1 tbsp dark soy sauce mixed with 1 tsp molasses or dark brown sugar","Kecap manis works too and is easier to find. Aim for something the consistency of thin syrup, not thin like regular soy.",{"original":35,"swap":36,"note":37},"Daikon","Chinese white radish or, at a pinch, peeled kohlrabi","They behave similarly when grated and cooked down. Avoid red radishes — too peppery and they colour the cake pink.",[39,42,45],{"name":40,"description":41},"Black carrot cake","The sweet version: after the cubes are crisp, toss in 2 tbsp sweet dark soy sauce and let it caramelise for 30 seconds before the egg goes in.",{"name":43,"description":44},"With cockles or dried shrimp","Some stalls add a handful of small cockles or soaked dried shrimp with the garlic, which pushes the whole plate towards the sea.",{"name":46,"description":47},"Steamed and sliced Teochew style","Skip the frying entirely — steam the cake, slice it warm, and eat it with sweet chilli sauce and fried shallots, the way it is served at Chaoshan new year.",[49],"A spoonful of sambal or chilli sauce on the side, and hot Chinese tea to cut the fat.","The steamed cake keeps 4 days wrapped in the fridge and is genuinely better on day two — it firms up and fries much cleaner. It also freezes well for 2 months: cube it first, freeze on a tray, then bag it, and fry from frozen with a couple of extra minutes. The finished fried dish does not keep at all. It goes limp within ten minutes and reheating turns the egg rubbery, so fry only what will be eaten straight away.",[52,55,58,61,64],{"question":53,"answer":54},"Why is it called carrot cake if there is no carrot?","Because in Singapore and Malaysia the local name for daikon radish is white carrot, and the English menu translation kept the carrot and dropped the white. The dish contains grated daikon, rice flour and water, with no carrot and no relation to the Western dessert of the same name.",{"question":56,"answer":57},"Why did my radish cake fall apart in the pan?","Almost always because it was still warm or too fresh. The cake needs to steam fully, cool completely, and then chill for several hours so the rice flour starch retrogrades and firms. Cutting it too small, using too little rice flour, or crowding the pan so the cubes steam instead of fry will finish the job.",{"question":59,"answer":60},"What is the difference between white and black chai tow kway?","White is the original Teochew style, seasoned only with light soy sauce, garlic, preserved radish and white pepper, so it tastes clean and savoury. Black has sweet dark soy sauce tossed in near the end, which coats the cubes in a glossy caramel and makes the dish noticeably sweeter. Many stalls sell both from the same wok.",{"question":62,"answer":63},"Can I make it without a wok?","Yes, and a heavy cast-iron or thick nonstick frying pan is often better on a home hob because it holds heat when the cold cubes hit it. Work in two batches, spread the cubes in one layer, and resist stirring — the crust forms when the cake sits still on hot metal.",{"question":65,"answer":66},"Is chai tow kway vegetarian?","This version is, since it is seasoned with soy sauce rather than fish sauce. Hawker stalls vary: many add fish sauce, dried shrimp or cockles, and most fry in lard, so it is worth asking rather than assuming. The cake base itself is always just radish, rice flour, water and seasoning.",[68,69,70,71],"Box grater or food processor with a grating disc","Steamer large enough for a 20 cm cake tin","20 cm square or round tin, lightly oiled","Wok or heavy frying pan",4,25,75,480,"medium",[78,79],"street-food","breakfast",[81,82,83],"vegetarian","dairy-free","nut-free",[85,86,87],"daikon","eggs","garlic",[89,94,97,101,105,109,113,117,121,124,127,130,134,138],{"ref":85,"qty":90,"unit":91,"name":92,"group":93},900,"g","daikon radish, peeled and coarsely grated","For the radish cake",{"qty":95,"unit":91,"name":96,"group":93},250,"rice flour",{"ref":98,"qty":99,"unit":100,"name":98,"group":93},"cornstarch",2,"tbsp",{"qty":102,"unit":103,"name":104,"group":93},350,"ml","water, plus the liquid from the cooked radish",{"qty":106,"unit":107,"name":108,"group":93},1.5,"tsp","fine salt",{"ref":110,"qty":111,"unit":107,"name":112,"group":93},"white-pepper",1,"ground white pepper",{"qty":114,"unit":100,"name":115,"group":116},3,"neutral oil (or lard, for the hawker version)","To fry",{"ref":87,"qty":118,"unit":119,"name":120,"group":116},5,"clove","garlic, finely chopped",{"qty":122,"unit":91,"name":123,"group":116},60,"preserved radish (chai poh), rinsed and chopped",{"ref":86,"qty":72,"unit":125,"name":126,"group":116},"piece","eggs, lightly beaten",{"ref":128,"qty":99,"unit":100,"name":129,"group":116},"soy-sauce","light soy sauce",{"qty":99,"unit":100,"name":131,"note":132,"optional":133,"group":116},"sweet dark soy sauce","only for the black version",true,{"ref":135,"qty":114,"unit":125,"name":136,"group":137},"scallions","scallions, thinly sliced","To finish",{"qty":139,"unit":140,"name":141,"group":137},null,"to taste","sambal or chilli sauce",[143,147,151,156,159,163,166,170],{"title":144,"text":145,"timerSeconds":146},"Cook down the radish","Put the grated daikon in a wide pan with 150 ml of the water, cover and cook over medium heat for about 12 minutes, until the shreds turn from opaque white to translucent and soften completely. Do not drain — the cloudy liquid left in the pan is going into the batter.",720,{"title":148,"text":149,"tip":150},"Make the batter","Whisk the rice flour, cornstarch, salt and white pepper with the remaining 200 ml water until completely smooth with no lumps. Pour it into the hot radish and stir hard over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes; it will thicken abruptly into a stiff, glossy paste that pulls away from the pan.","Lumps at this stage stay lumpy forever — whisk the batter cold and smooth before it touches heat.",{"title":152,"text":153,"timerSeconds":154,"tip":155},"Steam the cake","Scrape the paste into an oiled 20 cm tin and smooth the top with a wet spoon. Steam over rapidly boiling water for 45 minutes, until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean and the surface is set and no longer tacky.",2700,"Lay a cloth under the steamer lid to stop condensation dripping onto the cake.",{"title":157,"text":158},"Cool completely, then chill","Let the cake cool in its tin to room temperature, then refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours or overnight. It must be cold and firm enough that a cube holds its shape when you squeeze it — this is the step that decides whether it fries or falls apart.",{"title":160,"text":161,"timerSeconds":162},"Cut and fry the first batch","Turn the cake out and cut it into 3 cm cubes. Heat half the oil in a wok or heavy pan until it just shimmers, add half the cubes in one layer, press them flat with the spatula and leave them undisturbed for a full minute until the undersides are golden and release on their own. Turn once and repeat, then set aside and fry the second batch.",300,{"title":164,"text":165},"Add the aromatics","Return all the cubes to the pan, push them to one side and fry the garlic and chopped preserved radish in the space for about 45 seconds, until the garlic is pale gold and the chai poh smells toasty rather than raw. Toss everything together and season with the light soy sauce. For the black version, add the sweet dark soy now and let it caramelise for half a minute.",{"title":167,"text":168,"tip":169},"Bind with egg","Pour the beaten egg around the edge of the pan and let it sit for 20 seconds before folding it through, so it sets into brittle sheets rather than coating every cube. The egg should be firm and lacy at the rim, just set in the middle.","If the pan sounds quiet when the egg goes in, it is not hot enough — the egg will steam and go rubbery.",{"title":171,"text":172},"Serve straight from the pan","Slide it onto a warm plate, scatter the scallions over the top and put sambal on the side. Eat within a few minutes: the crisp edges soften fast and this dish waits for nobody.",{"calories":174,"protein":175,"carbs":176,"fat":177,"fiber":114,"sugar":118,"sodium":178,"estimated":133},430,12,58,16,980,[180],{"src":181,"alt":182},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fchai-tow-kway\u002Fhero.svg","Golden cubes of fried radish cake tangled with set egg, chopped preserved radish and sliced scallions on a plate",[184,185,186,85,187,188],"chai tow kway","fried radish cake","carrot cake singapore","hawker food","teochew","2026-08-21","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":192,"total":403,"page":111,"limit":404,"hasMore":405},[193,216,223,246,268,292,319,339,361,382],{"slug":194,"title":195,"nativeName":196,"romanized":197,"countrySlug":8,"region":198,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":199,"cookMinutes":200,"difficulty":201,"course":202,"diet":205,"mainIngredients":206,"images":207,"keywords":211,"publishedAt":189,"updatedAt":189,"authorSlug":190},"singapore-bak-kut-teh","Bak Kut Teh (Peppery Pork Rib 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chile sauce and ginger-scallion oil",[241,242,243,244,245,187],"hainanese chicken rice","poached chicken","singapore national dish","chicken stock rice","ginger scallion oil",{"slug":247,"title":248,"nativeName":249,"countrySlug":8,"region":227,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":228,"cookMinutes":74,"difficulty":76,"course":250,"diet":251,"mainIngredients":252,"images":257,"keywords":261,"publishedAt":189,"updatedAt":189,"authorSlug":190},"singapore-hokkien-mee","Hokkien Mee (Singapore Prawn Stock Fried Noodles)","福建面",[204],[82],[253,254,255,256],"shrimp","egg-noodles","pork-belly","squid",[258],{"src":259,"alt":260},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsingapore-hokkien-mee\u002Fhero.svg","Glossy yellow noodles and vermicelli in prawn gravy topped with prawns, squid and crisp lard, with sambal and lime on the plate rim",[262,263,264,265,266,267],"hokkien mee","singapore hokkien mee","prawn stock noodles","fried yellow noodles","sambal belacan","hawker 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lemak",{"slug":320,"title":321,"nativeName":322,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":199,"cookMinutes":323,"difficulty":201,"course":324,"diet":325,"mainIngredients":326,"images":328,"keywords":332,"publishedAt":189,"updatedAt":189,"authorSlug":190},"kaya-toast","Kaya Toast (Singaporean Coconut Jam Toast with Soft Eggs)","咖椰吐司",45,[79],[81,83],[305,86,327],"butter",[329],{"src":330,"alt":331},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkaya-toast\u002Fhero.svg","Crisp toast fingers filled with dark coconut kaya jam and thick butter slabs beside a dish of runny soft-boiled eggs",[333,334,335,336,337,338],"kaya toast","coconut jam","kopitiam","singapore breakfast","pandan","soft boiled eggs",{"slug":340,"title":341,"nativeName":342,"countrySlug":8,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":297,"cookMinutes":343,"difficulty":299,"course":344,"diet":346,"mainIngredients":347,"images":351,"keywords":355,"publishedAt":189,"updatedAt":189,"authorSlug":190},"singapore-popiah","Popiah (Singaporean Fresh Spring Roll with Braised Turnip)","薄饼",70,[345],"appetizer",[302,82],[306,348,349,350],"carrot","peanuts","tofu",[352],{"src":353,"alt":354},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsingapore-popiah\u002Fhero.svg","Sliced fresh popiah rolls showing braised jicama, shredded omelette, peanuts and lettuce inside a soft wheat skin",[356,357,358,315,8,359,360],"popiah","fresh spring roll","jicama","bangkuang","hokkien",{"slug":362,"title":363,"nativeName":364,"countrySlug":8,"region":365,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":228,"cookMinutes":73,"difficulty":76,"course":366,"diet":367,"mainIngredients":368,"images":371,"keywords":375,"publishedAt":189,"updatedAt":189,"authorSlug":190},"singapore-chilli-crab","Singapore Chilli Crab (Crab in Sweet Chili Tomato Gravy)","辣椒螃蟹","East Coast",[204],[82],[369,370,86,87],"crab","tomato",[372],{"src":373,"alt":374},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsingapore-chilli-crab\u002Fhero.svg","Cracked crab pieces coated in thick orange-red chile tomato gravy with egg ribbons, fried mantou buns alongside",[376,377,378,379,380,381],"chilli crab","singapore chilli crab","mud crab","sweet chili tomato gravy","fried mantou","seafood",{"slug":383,"title":384,"nativeName":385,"countrySlug":8,"region":386,"baseServings":72,"prepMinutes":73,"cookMinutes":297,"difficulty":76,"course":387,"diet":388,"mainIngredients":389,"images":393,"keywords":397,"publishedAt":189,"updatedAt":189,"authorSlug":190},"singapore-fish-head-curry","Singapore Fish Head Curry (Snapper Head in Tamarind Curry)","Fish head curry","Little India",[204],[302,82,276],[390,391,392,305],"white-fish","tamarind","okra",[394],{"src":395,"alt":396},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsingapore-fish-head-curry\u002Fhero.svg","Split snapper head simmering in a red tamarind curry with whole okra, eggplant batons and curry leaves",[398,8,399,400,401,392,402],"fish head curry","tamarind curry","snapper","little india","south indian",10,24,false,1787360058496]