Carrot Cake: A Crispy, Savoury Favourite

Origins of Chai Tow Kway

From Southern China (Teochew community)
The dish traces back to Teochew immigrantsfrom China who came to Singapore and Malaya in the 1800s.
- In Teochew dialect, “chai tow” means radish (daikon/white carrot).
- “kway” means rice cake.
- So, it’s essentially radish flour cake, made from rice flour and shredded white radish, steamed into firm blocks.
Early Teochew staple
This radish cake was originally eaten plain, steamed, or pan-fried during festivals and family meals.

By the early 1900s, Teochew migrants in Singapore began selling radish cakes at markets and roadside stalls.
Hawkers adapted it by cutting the steamed radish cake into cubes and frying it with garlic, eggs, and preserved radish (chai poh).

By the 1950s–1960s, it became a popular hawker dish in Singapore, especially in Chinatown and Teochew-populated areas.
Two main styles emerged:
1. White Carrot Cake (白菜头粿) – fried with egg until crispy, no sweet sauce.
2. Black Carrot Cake (黑菜头粿) – fried with dark sweet soy sauce, giving it a sticky, caramelised flavour.
Unlike in China (where radish cake is more often steamed for festivals), Singapore transformed it into a street food wok-fry style, which is now iconic.

Despite its name, it contains no orange carrots — the “carrot” is actually the white radish (daikon).
Today, you can find it at hawker centres like Bedok 85, Newton Food Centre, and Chomp Chomp.
It’s part of Singapore’s UNESCO hawker culture recognition.