Fried carrot cake has always been my favourite breakfast back in Singapore since I was little! My parents would come across what they feel is the best one and either bring me there or buy me a packet to try! Because I use to live in the West, my favourite stall is at Bukit Timah Market and now that I live in the North, my favourite is no doubt the stall from Serangoon Gardens Market! (: In fact, I have a plate of fried carrot cake almost every Sunday after church! If you don’t know, fried carrot cake comes in black and white. My favourite is the black one. The blacker the better!
This is the one from Serangoon Gardens Market. It’s really amazing. Every single bite has got a balance of carrot cake, egg, chye poh, and sweet black sauce! Not too dry and just a tad moist the way I really like! And what’s more? It’s cheap! $2.50 and I will be happily stuffed! hehe
So it’s been on my agenda for almost a year to try and make from scratch, but just never got around to doing it. So since it’s the holidays, I decided to get down to getting it done! Truthfully, I was quite nervous, cause making kueh (of any kind) is not really my forte. That’s probably why it took me over a year to pluck up my courage to make it! But I’m so glad I did! This recipe from Bee @ Rasa Malaysia is delicious! The texture of the kueh is not too soft, so it’s really easy to fry without being all clumped up together!
It does take a little bit of time to get it done, and you have to wait overnight for the carrot cake to cool and chill in the fridge so that it’s much easier to handle and simpler to cut it into smaller pieces. So I recommend that you make the carrot cake a day in advance! It was perfect for me, cause I made it on a Saturday and fried it on Sunday so it just felt like being home and having a plate of delicious fried carrot cake at the markets. (:
So do you have a favourite hawker food like I do?
Fried Carrot Cake (Adapted from Rasa Malaysia)
For the Carrot Cake
2 medium radish (about 800g), grated finely
50ml water
200g rice flour
250ml water
1/4 tsp salt
Steps :
1) Over a very low flame, steam the grated radish and 50ml of water for about 30 minutes or until the radish turns translucent. Set aside and allow it to cool.
2) Mix the rice flour, water and salt until well combined, making sure there is no lumps.
3) Add the rice flour solution to the cooled grated radish. Stir and mix it well, then pour into a round metal cake tin. The mixture will look like a watery coleslaw. Steam the mixture for 45 minutes on high heat.
4) Leave the carrot cake to cool (best to leave it overnight in the fridge) so that it would firm up and would not stick to the knife when you’re cutting into it.
Fried (black) Carrot Cake (Serves 2)
Half of the steamed carrot cake
3 tbs shallot oil
3-4 tbs chye poh (preserved turnip)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp sambal chilli
2 tsp fish sauce (can add more if needed)
2 tbs thick sweet black sauce
white pepper, to season
2 stalk spring onion, sliced finely
Steps :
1) Cut the steamed carrot cake to small pieces. I do prefer it a little smaller, so that it will crisp up more. In a non-stick pan, add the shallot oil and fry the carrot cake till golden brown and crispy. Have the heat on medium-high.
2) Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and chye poh and fry till fragrant. Add more oil if needed.
3) Add the fish sauce, pepper and sambal. Fry till the carrot cake is well coated.
4) Pour the beaten eggs onto the carrot cake and allow it to set slightly before flipping over. Using the spatula, cut up the pieces and add the thickened sweet black sauce. Fry and mix it well. Add the spring onions and dish up into a bowl.
ENJOY! (:
Mine turned out a little drier than I hope, but was still really delicious! If you love fried carrot cake like I do, do give this a shot! (: If you prefer the white version, just omit the last step! So make the carrot cake today so that you can fry it tmr!
Food Made With Love 
You are a true blue foodie! I love my food but I don’t cook.
Looks great – your stomach and your husband’s stomach are very lucky indeed 😀
Haha thanks rach! 🙂 just something I really enjoy doing and feel super relaxed and happy! Hehe
this looks pretty damn amazing! Wannnnt!!
Aww thanks babe! 🙂 I’m sure you would be able to whip it up too! Hehe worth the work! Hehe
I’ve only attempted radish cake once and my version was unfortunately slightly too soft, not sure what went wrong there. Gotta reattempt it as I do love a good char kueh! And yes I love it really black too! Yum!
Hehe yes Do try it again! 🙂 I’m sure it would be ok this time! It’s too yummy not to have it! Hehe just something I really miss from home!
Oh yummmm… I’m too lazy to make this so I just buy it. Well done for doing it yourself, it looks great!
Thank you so much! 🙂 hehe love experimenting in the kitchen and even happier when it turns out well! Hehe
I would love to try this! Never heard of such a dish. And at first, I thought it was a dessert — ha ha. Sounds delicious though. 🙂
Hehe yes 😉 the name definitely sounds like a dessert hehe it’s also called radish cake in Singapore! 🙂 it’s a local hawker dish and super yummy! Hehe hope you will like it when u do try it! Let me know! x
YUMMMM 🙂 love raddish cake hehe never thought it’ll be so easy to make ~ Because I thought it’ll have a lot more ingredients and things like that but I think i MIGHT be able to handle this recipe hehe
Hehe yes make it! Hehe it’s easy! You can add lap cheong and dried shrimp but the recipe I put up is the basic recipe and you can change it when you fry it! Hehe I got the xo one coming up next week! And I think you’ll like that one! Hehe
I think I will like that one very muchieeeeee i love my XO sauce and lol dunno why the older i get (gosh i sound old) the more i like spicy hot food WAKKAKAA
haha don’t worry, you’re not alone on that! hehe I LOVE spicy food! hehe
LOVE Chai Tow Kway though never made it from scratch! You, darls, are seriously one of my foodie inspirations :). I think I’ve cooked more as a result of finding your blog – or did you find me first? lol either way, I’m glad to get a ‘taste’ of your cooking skills via the interwebs :).
hehe I can’t remember who found who first, but don’t matter cos I love your blog too! hehe and it’s just so encouraging to hear that my blog inspired you! hehe Thank you so much babe! Keeps me going! x
Thanks for sharing hon. I am lazy as heck…. so I have not made my own carrot cake. Feel so bad! I really should and keep the singapore food alive here.
xx Ling
hehe (: well you always can make it now! only the grated is tedious but definitely worth the time and effort! xx
Fantastic Lianne. I just got back from a month in Asia where i spent a week in Singaopre. Second day there a Taxi driver told me to try Tiong Bahru Market for breakfast and i had Chai tow kway everyday plus tried of other dishes. I couldnt get enough.
Sadly ive come back to NZ missing my asian foods. but thanks to your site, im Happy again 🙂
You’re most welcome!! So glad I could be of some help! Let me know what u think about my recipes! Would love some feedback!
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I kinda combined it with some instructions my mom gave me for a different type of carrot cake, it’s waiting to cool down completely at the moment. I can’t wait to fry it tomorrow lol
Ps: it turned out amazing, thanks! Your recipe is a keeper for me 😀 I posted picture on my Instagram 😀 http://instagram.com/p/XVESBcBgB5/
yay! that’s great! hehe so glad you enjoyed it! hehe 😀 yours look amazing!! hehe
i want to do it for 5 pple.. how to adjust n where to buy chye poh? ms malar
Hi Malar, I would recommend just doubling the recipe (: You can buy chye poh from provision shops or asian supermarkets!
Hi!! Have you tried freezing it? I used ieatishootipost’s recipe the other day and it turned out fine when I ate it the next day after chilling. But the texture changed after freezing so I’m not sure if it’s the freezing or his recipe 😦
I think freezing it changes the texture. but if you freeze then steam instead of refrying that might reduce the difference!