Carrot Cake Singapore: Black, White, and Crispy Fried Styles

Singapore carrot cake is not a baked good. The base is a steamed block of shredded white radish mixed with rice flour, which is allowed to set before being sliced into small cubes. At the wok, those cubes are fried in lard or vegetable oil until the outer surfaces crisp up, then beaten egg is added and scrambled through. Preserved radish, called chai poh, adds a salty crunch. The white version stops there. The black version goes further, folding in thick sweet soy sauce until every cube is coated. Some stalls also press a flat omelette crust around the entire portion to produce what regulars call the crispy carrot cake style.

Tekka Market is one of Singapore's great hawker destinations, and Handmade Carrot Cake - Zhujiao Centre (Tekka Market) makes a strong case for lingering longer. The stall keeps things focused on the classic: Fried Black Carrot Cake and Fried White Carrot Cake, each available in small, medium, and large. For something a little different, the Deep Fried Carrot Cake Sticks/Fingers come in portions of ten or sixteen — a snackable twist on the familiar chai tow kway.

Katong Jago Fried Carrot Cake & Fried Kway Teow in Upper Boon Keng keeps the carrot cake offering clean and classic. There are just two options — Fried Carrot Cake Black and Fried Carrot Cake White — letting the cooking do the talking without any fuss.

At 401 Fried Oyster Carrot Cake Hokkien Mee in Hougang, the carrot cake menu goes beyond the usual black-or-white choice. The Carrot Cake (Black) 黑菜头粿 and Carrot Cake (White) 白菜头粿 are both on offer, and for those who want a bit of everything, the Yuan Yang Fried Carrot Cake 鸳鸯 菜头粿 brings the two styles together in a single satisfying plate.

Tucked inside Bukit Timah Interim Market & Food Centre, YONKI CARROT CAKE keeps its menu tight and focused squarely on the dark, savoury side of chai tow kway. The Black Carrot Cake is available in medium and large, and those who want a bit more going on can opt for Black carrot cake (with prawns) or Black carrot cake with pork — both solid variations on the classic.

Over in Bedok at Stall 37 on New Upper Changi Road, Song Zhou Carrot Cake offers a neat four-item menu that covers both the black and white camps of chai tow kway. The straightforward Black Carrot Cake 黑 and White Carrot Cake 白 form the backbone, while the Black Carrot Cake with Prawn 黑虾 and White Carrot Cake with Prawn 白虾 give prawn lovers a reason to choose a side.

Big Fat Boy Hokkien Mee and Carrot Cake in Anchorvale Crescent, Sengkang, pairs two hawker classics under one roof. On the carrot cake side, the menu is approachably simple — Carrot cake black and Carrot cake white, each in small and large sizes, giving regulars a familiar and fuss-free option alongside the stall's Hokkien mee.

Carrot cake — the savoury Singaporean kind, stir-fried with egg and radish cake — is one of those hawker staples that locals grow up on, and Wei Wei Carrot Cake at Tanjong Pagar Plaza keeps that tradition going. The menu centres on the three classic preparations: the White Carrot Cake/白, the Black Carrot Cake/黑, and the Mixed Carrot Cake/掺 for those who can't decide between the two. All three are available in large portions.

Stationed at Our Tampines Hub, Fat Fat Food Carrot Cake covers the full spectrum of chai tow kway. The classic Black Carrot Cake and White Carrot Cake are both offered in small and large portions, but the stall also carries a Truffle Oil White Carrot Cake in both sizes — a contemporary spin that sets it apart from more traditional neighbourhood stalls.

Lava Carrot Cake By Smiley Kitchen in Punggol takes the hawker staple somewhere unexpected. Alongside the Old Skool White Fried Carrot Cake with Grilled Prawn and Old Skool White Fried Carrot Cake with Smoked Duck, the menu ventures into more inventive territory with Cheesy Lava Fried Carrot Cake and Mentaiko Lava Fried Carrot Cake. Those after something even more indulgent can look to the Overload Fried Carrot Cake.

505 Fried White Carrot Cake in Jalan Bukit Merah keeps things refreshingly uncomplicated — it does white carrot cake, and that's it. The White Carrot Cake is available in either a small or big portion, making it easy to dial in exactly how much of the pale, egg-fragrant classic you're after.