Pinterest

Follow Me on Pinterest

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Carrot cake?

Since moving to Singapore I have seen many hawker stands selling fried Carrot cake.There is always a Q (line up) to get a slice so I assumed it must be delish! Now, I'm not usually a carrot cake lover but when you miss the familiar of "home" sometimes you want something that just reminds you of home. SO, I thought that I'd save this fried carrot cake for a nice Easter treat.
As Easter approached I mentioned my goal to my husband and he informed me that fried carrot cake a la Singapore style is NOT the same as carrot cake a la American style. So, I did some research and it is SO NOT THE SAME!
American carrot cake is made with real ORANGE carrots,  pecans and a bunch of other yummy things that make it cakey and delish! Then it is followed up by cream cheese frosting and NOTHING can beat that! I'm sure Americans line up in some areas just for a slice of this yummy cake. American carrot cakes look something like this.....

Fried Carrot cake a la Singapore style is also called Chai Tow Kway and is made with WHITE RADISHES! Or as they call them Singapore carrots. The radish is mixed much like a regular cake with flour and water but is stirred in a pan while cooking to make the cake.Then the cake is stir fried with eggs, garlic and spring onions sometimes even some dried shrimp for texture! Singaporeans eat this cake for breakfast, lunch, dinner and an anytime snack! Fried carrot cake looks something like this....
I'm so glad that I did some research before I ordered this Carrot Cake or I would have had a HUGE surprise!
I'm told when cooked right it really is delicious but I'm not sure I want to try it yet.
Next time I feel like a carrot cake though I think I'll just bake one American style!

2 comments:

Leone Fabre said...

it took me a while to gather up the courage to eat carrot cake (Singapore style) but it really is delicious .... that is if you think of it as Chai Tow Kway rather than 'carrot cake"!

The Hawker centers will give you a choice of "black" (fried with sweet soy sauce) or "white" (straight). You can also ask for a dash of chilli powder to give that carrot cake an extra kick.

Laurel said...

I might end up trying them sometime. I'm glad I know what they actually are here or I would have been VERY surprised! I think it all sounds good until you get to the dried shrimp. Still not a fan of that one! I'll just go out and pick the longest line and wait like the locals!