Are you confused with 'carrot cake'? Is it baked or is it fried? In Singapore, 'carrot cake' is not exactly a conventional cake. Unlike its western counterparts, Singapore carrot cake is steamed and then stir-fry either with eggs or with egg and dark sweet sauce.
I like to eat fried carrot cake and especially with hot and spicy chilli. There's a few good carrot cake stalls in Singapore (which my Singaporean readers will be more than happy to know). In the east, there is a stall in Changi Hawker Centre, which is operated by a middle aged couple, serves very delicious and 'q' fried carrot cake with dark sweet sauce. Their stall specializes just that dish and unfortunately, it is sold out by mid afternoon. Catch it if you can.
The fried carrot cake which I am sharing is an authentic Singapore version which is fried with preserved radish, eggs and spring onions. But I added dried shrimps to it which I hope it can add complementary sweetness to it.
As you are eating fried carrot cake, have you even wonder where is the carrot? Well, you can't exactly see it. See recipe to find out where's the carrot!
Recipe (6 servings)
Ingredients:
A) Cake
350g White radish (daikon), grated/ thinly shred and do not squeeze dry
200g Rice flour
300ml Water
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp dried shrimps, soak for 30 minutes and drain
Cooking oil
Steps:
Fry dried shrimps in 1tsp of cooking oil till fragrant. Remove and cool.
Mix flour, salt and water together in a mixing bowl.
Add in shredded radish and dried shrimps.
Mix well.
Pour into a baking tray and send to steam for 30 minutes.
Cool and refrigerate overnight.
B) Frying
Steamed Carrot cake, cut into cubes
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Preserved radish, soak for 30 minutes and rinse thrice
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 stalks Spring onions, chopped.
1 tsp Fish sauce
2 tbsp Cooking oil
Steps:
In a heated wok/ pan with medium high heat, add in 2 tbsp of cooking oil.
Add in chopped garlic. Fry till fragrant.
Add in carrot cake and fry lightly.
When the carrot cake is well heated, sprinkle the preserved radish and pour in the beaten eggs. Sprinkle half of the spring onions.
When the eggs are set, flip the carrot cake over.
Using the spatula, fry the carrot cake such that it will break into smaller pieces.
Add in fish sauce and rest of the spring onions.
Fry for another 20 seconds.
Dish and serve warm.
* For spicy version, you may add ground chilli paste in step 6.