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Local Hawker Fare – Chai Tow Kway aka Fried Carrot Cake

Local Hawker Fare – Chai Tow Kway aka Fried Carrot Cake

There are so many local hawker fare in Singapore. To the locals, hawker food is still the best. In the olden days, hawkers used to ply the streets selling their foods. However, in the 1960s, the hawkers were re-located into hawkers centres where many stalls are gathered in one place. Today, these hawker centres are called food centres and the hawker food is also found in food courts everywhere in Singapore.

One of the local favourites is the Chai Tow Kway aka Fried Carrot Cake

Fried Carrot Cake aka Chai Tow Kway
Fried Carrot Cake aka Chai Tow Kway

How it is made

In this dish, there isnt any real carrots per se. Instead, white radish or “white carrots” are mixed together with flour and steamed to create the “body” or the carrot cake itself.

The fried part comes in when this steamed carrot cake is divided into squarish portions and fried together with sweet and dark soy sauce, eggs and chai poh (preserved radish).


The Taste

There are basically 2 types of fried carrot cake commonly found in Singapore. It is the white version (fried without sweet/dark soy sauce) and the dark (or black) version. Most of my foreign friends prefer the white version as it is very much palatable and the taste of fried eggs is very much acceptable. On the other hand, the dark version, slightly on the sweeter side has its own followers as well.

When you are in Singapore, do take time to try both and see if you belong to the white or the dark side… Enjoy!

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Fried Carrot Cake
Fried Carrot Cake
Local Hawker Fare – Char Kway Teow aka Fried Kway Teow (Flat noodles)

Local Hawker Fare – Char Kway Teow aka Fried Kway Teow (Flat noodles)

There are so many local hawker fare in Singapore. To the locals, hawker food is still the best. In the olden days, hawkers used to ply the streets selling their foods. However, in the 1960s, the hawkers were re-located into hawkers centres where many stalls are gathered in one place. Today, these hawker centres are called food centres and the hawker food is also found in food courts everywhere in Singapore.

One of the local favourites is the Char Kway Teow aka Fried Kway Teow…

Char Kway Teow
Char Kway Teow

Kway Teow actually refers to white flat noodles. However, in char kway teow or fried kway teow (by now you would have known char is fried right?), yellow noodles are often used.

How it is made

It is really simple to make this local hawker fare. Garlic is first fried till its golden brown while beansprouts,lap cheong (chinese sausage), eggs, chives and sometimes prawn or squid is fried together. Next the flat white rice noodles (kway teow) and yellow noodles are thrown in to be fried together again. Light / Dark and a little bit of sweet soy sauce is added to taste.

Once this is done, the fried noodles is laid over fresh cockles for it to be cooked under the heat of the noodles.


The Taste

There are commonly two varieties of char kway teow (much like the fried hokkien prawn noodles), the wet version or the dry version. Personally, I like mine a little bit wetter. The moisture is usually derived from water or stock.

The char kway teow in Singapore is commonly a little bit on the sweet side (though it is still pretty much a savoury dish), the fried beansprouts together with eggs and chives brings out a local flavour that is both aromatic and savoury. You’ve got to try it to experience it!

Fried KwayTeow aka Char Kway Teow
Fried KwayTeow aka Char Kway Teow
Local Hawker Fare – Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles

Local Hawker Fare – Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles

There are so many local hawker fare in Singapore. To the locals, hawker food is still the best. In the olden days, hawkers used to ply the streets selling their foods. However, in the 1960s, the hawkers were re-located into hawkers centres where many stalls are gathered in one place. Today, these hawker centres are called food centres and the hawker food is also found in food courts everywhere in Singapore.

One of my favourite hawker food is the Hokkien Mee…

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Hokkien Mee aka Fried Prawn Noodles

How it is made

In order to create this local delight, kilograms of prawn head and shell are boiled together for hours with pork bones or ribs. The stock is then kept to fry the noodles. Thereafter, egg, noodles (both white and yellow), garlic and the stock is fried together, simmered again with more of the stock, to allow the noodles to be infused with the flavour of the stock.

When this is done, pre-cooked sotong (squid), prawn and sometimes slices of pork are thrown in and fried for a short while before serving. The hokkien mee is usually served with chilli on the side.

In recent days, the hokkien mee may also be wrapped in Opeh leave (some kind of bamboo leave I believe) so that the fragrance can also be imparted to the noodles.


The Taste

There are many varieties of this same dish. Some like it dry and sticky, some like it moist and wet. I like mine infused with the flavour, no matter dry or wet. Primarily, the hokkien mee has a seafood taste with a prawny slant. It is generally savoury sweet (not the dessert sweet) with a hint of bitterness from the yellow noodles. The taste of the noodles will really depend on the stock (i.e. the ingredients used to prepare the stock) and should be rich. The time taken to simmer the noodles and infuse the stock will determine its final taste.

Just writing this post makes me want to eat hokkien mee! Enjoy!

Fried Hokkien Mee
Fried Hokkien Mee
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