Fried carrot cake in Singapore: no carrot, no cake

The first time I ordered fried carrot cake in Singapore, I expected two things. At least one of them should have been present: carrot or cake. Neither turned up.

What arrived was hot, savoury and covered in dark sauce. It tasted a little like soft pasta or dumplings in a pleasant, slightly sweet sauce. There was no frosting, no dessert fork and nothing orange except my expectations.

So why call it carrot cake?

The local name is chai tow kway. The “carrot” is actually white radish, or daikon, which is sometimes described as a white carrot. The “cake” appears earlier in the cooking process: white radish and rice flour are steamed into a firm slab, then cut into pieces and fried with garlic and egg.

So the English name is not entirely lying. It is simply answering a different question from the person waiting for dessert.

White or black?

There are two familiar Singapore versions. White carrot cake is fried with egg and kept pale. Black carrot cake adds sweet dark soy sauce. The plate in my photograph is the black version, which explains the slightly sweet flavour.

You can find chai tow kway in hawker centres and food courts all over Singapore. It did not become my favourite, but it is worth trying at least once. If nothing else, you get to order a carrot cake for lunch and receive neither carrot nor cake.

The dessert remains the only missing ingredient.