Fried Carrot Cake (Black)

Fried Carrot Cake is another of my favourite local hawker fare. A Teochew delicacy, it is called Chai Tau Kway” (菜头粿) in teochew dialect.  Some have it for breakfast, some for supper, and there are others like me who will eat it anytime of the day! Lol!

I like it black and with chilli. However, as I'm still nursing a bad throat yet craving for a plate of this yummy dish, I decided to try whipping myself a dish, sans chilli.

I was pondering over what kind of fish sauce to buy and settled for a small bottle of Thai Fish Sauce (Knife brand). I also bought the smallest bottle of sweet sauce (Rose brand) I could find as I rarely use this ingredient in my cooking. I also took the easy way out and got myself a packet of store-bought carrot rice cake. You can make it yourself. It will defintely be nicer and softer in texture. But as it's a 'satisfy-my-craving-now' situation, this will do.

Verdict...It's another big Thumbs Up from my hubby and darling girl!

Fried Carrot Cake

adapted from My Wok Life

(my notes in red)

Ingredients:

500g store-bought (or homemade) carrot rice cake, cut in cubes (I used half a packet and mashed with my hands so that the chai poh can 'stick' to the rough edges better and hence, tastier)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten (I used 1 egg, beaten with a dash of pepper)

3 cloves of chopped garlic, minced

2 tbspn of chopped preserved radish aka 'chai por' (菜脯), steeped, and mixed with sesame oil (I used 1 tbspn)

1-2 tbspn fish sauce (鱼露) (I used only 1 tsp)

1-2 tsp light soy sauce (I omit)

1 tbspn sweet sauce

1 tbspn chilli paste (*amount adjustable to desired spiciness) (I omit)

Pinch of sugar

3-4 tbspn cooking oil (I used 2 tbspn canola oil)

Garnish

Spring onion, julienned

Method:

1. Rinse a few times, or steep chopped preserved radish in a bowl of water for 5 minutes. Drain well (squeeze to dry) and sprinkle a few drops of sesame oil. Set aside for later.

2. Heat wok with oil over high heat. Add in cubed (I mashed the carrot cake with my hands) carrot rice cake and saute for about 8 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. Stir-fry occassionally to avoid sticking. Turn off the heat and set aside. (I used non-stick frying pan and stir-fry the carrot cake. I did not turn off the heat. I pushed the carrot cake aside and then add in the garlic and chai por to stir fry until fragrant.)

3. Heat a large frying pan with 1 tbspn of oil over high heat. Add  in garlic and stir fry till fragrant. 

4. Add chopped preserved radish and stir fry till fragrant and looks glossy. Then, add in chilli paste. (I omit the chilli)

5. Return the sauteed carrot cake and stir fry to combine well.

6. Drizzle fish sauce and stir fry a few times, followed by adding light soy sauce and sugar. (I omit light soy sauce) Stir fry to combine well.

7. Spread the carrot cake pieces nicely on the pan and lightly press with the back of the spatula. Let it pan fry for 1-2 minutes. You may drizzle more oil or water to moisten the carrot cake. (I did not add as mine was moist enough)

8. Lower the heat and add in sweet sauce. Stir fry and combine well. Again, spread the carrot cake pieces nicely on the pan and lightly press with the back of the spatula.

9. Break the eggs in a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork. You may add some light soy sauce and pepper, if desired. (I only added a dash of pepper)

10. Pour the egg solution over the carrot cake. Let the egg set and cook (without stirring) till semi done.

11. Portion the carrot cake in small portions and flip over the carrot cake portions. Let it cook till both sides are cooked.

12. Turn off the heat and transfer to serving dish.

13. Garnish with spring onion and serve hot.

Notes:

- I got the store-bought carrot rice cake from NTUC. It can also be found in many other supermarkets in Singapore.
- To reduce the oil used, it's a good idea to use non-stick frying pan.
- Steep the Chai Po for longer time, in order to eliminate its high salt content. Do a taste check on the steeped Chai Po. If you find the Chai Po is still taste salty enough for you, do omit the additional salt content of fish sauce.
- The salt content (i.e. fish sauce and light soy sauce) is adjustable to your liking. Everyone has different tolerance levels for salt. To ensure the right taste, add these seasoning in stages and do taste check along the way.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #11 Sept 2014 : Singapore hosted by Life can be Simple

Do link back to LY's Kitchen Ventures if you have used any information published in this blog.