Fried Carrot Cake (Chai Tow Kway)

 

Everyone is familiar with steam carrot cake. Have you ever tried fried carrot  cakes or Chai Tow Kway?  Chai Tow Kway is a common dim sum of Teochew cuisine. It is also popular in Singapore and Malaysia.

I still remember that my parents used to take me to an open night market under an overhead bridge when I was a little child. And this popular stall is known for long queues. The stall owner began selling around 5:30 p.m. It was sold out when we arrived at around 7:00 p.m. A hawker stall will ask you whether you want black or white chai tow kway when you order it.  The black version has a sweeter black sauce while the White version has chili.

My version is using salty preserved radish which help to give the "kway" a little bit of salty flavor and crunch.  I first sauté the garlic and preserved radish until fragrant, add the fried carrot cake, drizzle with soy sauce, and stir-fry until the aroma of preserved radish is released.  I then add the eggs, spring onions, and bean sprouts, and stir-fry until fragrant. It is somewhat like scrambled eggs, just that with carrot cake in it.

You can prepare your own carrot cake, cut it into pieces, and fry it till golden on all sides if you want. Alternatively, some people buy ready-made carrot cakes and cut them into pieces. A higher carrot-to-flour ratio is possible when making your own carrot cake, which is also quite satisfying.

Steamed carrot cake is very soft when it is hot. It must cool down and harden before it can be cut or fired. So, I will keep the cool carrot cake in the refrigerator and fry it the next day.

The steamed carrot cake's texture is essential to the flavor of chai tow kway. The ratio of flour to water is crucial. I'm mixing rice flour, corn flour, and wheat starch to make the batter.

The consistency of the carrot cake after it is fried depends on the consistency of the thickened batter. The fried carrot cake will be too hard if the batter is too thick. The fried carrot cake will be mushy if the batter is overly thin. I want my steamed radish cake to have the right texture. I'll weigh the pot and its contents BEFORE and AFTER steaming, which should be reduced by 100g in weight. You can add more water as needed or get rid of extra liquid.

I am using 250g of white carrot in this recipe which is fit to steam in 8” x 8” cake pan. Line the square baking pan with aluminium foil which I think is the finest way to make sure food will come out of a pan easily particularly when the  food has sticky edges.  You may use a round cake pan, which you will need to coat with oil first.

 

INGREDIENTS

(For carrot cake)

250g grated white carrot

480g water

150 rice flour

1 ½ tsp corn flour

1 ½ tsp wheat starch

3/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp cooking oil

220g water

(For chai tow kway)

4 eggs, whisk thoroughly

200g bean sprouts, add more as you like

40g chopped spring onion, add more as you like

40g minced preserved radish, soak with water to get rid of some saltiness taste

Some sliced chili

1 head garlic, peeled and minced

3 tsp soy sauce

 

METHOD

1. Put grated carrots in a pot. Add 480g of water into the pot. Weigh the pot together with the contents inside the pot both before and after steaming. Over high heat, bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer, and cover until the radish is soft. Shut off the heat. After removing the cover, wait for roughly 10 minutes until the evaporation stops. Weigh the pot and its contents once more; there should be 100g less in weight. If more water is required, add it; otherwise, remove any extra.

2. Combine all types of flour, salt, oil, and 220g water in a wok. To the flour mixture, add the radish water from step 1.  Cook over medium-low heat and stir often until the batter is creamy. Add the carrot that has been cooked. As the batter thickens, keep cooking and stirring with low heat. Add cooked carrots, continue cooking and stirring, and reduce heat to low as the batter thicken. Pour the batter into an 8” x 8” cake pan. Lever and smooth the top. Steamed for 30 – 40 minutes. Remove the carrot cakes from the stove, let it cool and refrigerate overnight.

Note: Insert a greased knife into the carrot cake, if it comes out clean, it means the cake is done.

3. Cut the steamed carrot cakes into small cube size pieces.

4. Add some cooking oil to a flat bottom pan, heat the pan, add the cut carrot cakes, and cook over high heat until golden brown on all sides. Add more cooking oil as necessary.

5. To make Chai Taw Kway – Heat some come cooking oil in a deep bottom wok, add the preserved radish and garlic, and sauté until fragrant. Add the fried carrot cake, give it a quick stir until the preserved radish and garlic are well combined with the fried carrot cake. Pour soy sauce over the fried carrot cake and stir until the aroma of preserved radish is released. Add more cooking oil as necessary.

6. Pour the beaten eggs into the fried  carrot cake, when the bottom of the eggs is golden brown, flip them over. Add the bean sprouts and chopped spring onion.  Toss until they are well-cooked but not wilted. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your personal preference. If the chai tow kway tastes too bland or too salty, add some sugar or a few drops of soy sauce. You may sprinkle some spring onions on the chai tow kway at this point.

7. ENJOY with chili sauce or sambal.