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Vegetarian, South and Southeast Asian

Chai tow kway, Singapore fried radish cake

Chai tow kway is a Singaporean dish made from steamed white radish cake, cut into cubes and fried in a wok with garlic, eggs, and sweet soy sauce. For 4 people, it takes 50 minutes and a medium skill level, for about €2.40 per person. Success comes down to a fully cooled cake before cutting and a real golden crust during frying.

Tonight it's chai tow kway, cubes of radish cake fried in the wok with eggs and a sweet soy sauce, Singapore style.

Chai tow kway, Singapore fried radish cake
Total time
50 min
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€2.40
Calories per person
650 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

Chai tow kway plays with two textures in one bite, cubes of radish cake soft inside and crisp wherever they touched the wok. The sweet soy sauce caramelizes slightly against the hot oil, the fried garlic perfumes the whole dish, and the scrambled eggs bind everything together without making it heavy. Once cooked, white radish loses its bite and turns almost mild, a bit like a lighter potato.

This is a dish that takes some organization but no complicated technique, perfect for a Sunday when you have time to make the radish cake ahead and let it cool slowly. You can then fry it up in ten minutes on a weeknight, or serve it to guests curious about Singaporean cooking. Mon Chou walks you through every step so you don't miss a beat.

The ingredients

4 people

Fruits and vegetables

  • White radish (daikon) 600 g
  • Garlic 4 cloves
  • Green onion 3
  • Bean sprouts 100 g

Pantry

  • Rice flour 200 g
  • Soy sauceoften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Sweet soy sauceoften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Sambal oelek 1 tbsp
  • Neutral oiloften in the pantry 8 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Dairy

  • Eggs 4

Allergens Eggs, Soy, Gluten

The step by step recipe

  1. Grate the radish and cook it for ten minutes with a little water so it releases its juice. 10 min

    Save the cooking liquid, you'll use it to thin the flour.

  2. Mix the rice flour with 400 ml of water and the radish cooking liquid, add the cooked radish and some salt, and cook while stirring until you get a thick batter. 8 min

    The batter should pull away from the sides of the pan.

  3. Pour the batter into an oiled dish, smooth the top, steam it, then let it cool completely. 30 min

    Chill it for an hour in the fridge if you can, the cake will be firmer.

  4. Cut the cake into cubes and brown them over high heat in the oil with the chopped garlic. 8 min

    Only stir once a crust has had time to form.

  5. Push the cubes to one side, scramble the eggs, then mix everything together with the soy sauces, bean sprouts, and green onion, and add a little sambal. 5 min

    Finish over high heat to get small charred spots.

Our tips to get it right

  • Grate the radish fairly fine, into even shreds, so it cooks quickly and blends smoothly into the rice flour batter without lumps.
  • Use a wok or a large pan heated until very hot and don't be shy with the oil, that's what gives you the golden crust you're after.
  • Cut the cubes to an even size, about two centimeters per side, so they all brown at the same rate while staying soft in the middle.

The variations

  • Swap the sambal oelek for a homemade hot sauce or chili flakes if you don't have any on hand, the result stays close to the original.
  • For an egg free version, just fry the cubes with garlic, bean sprouts, and the soy sauces, the dish stays flavorful even without the eggs binding it.
  • To save time on a weeknight, make the radish cake the day before and keep it in the fridge, leaving only the wok step for the next day.

What to serve it with

  • Hot unsweetened Chinese tea
  • Fresh cucumber slices
  • A light clear broth on the side

Storage

The cooked radish cake keeps for two days in the fridge in a sealed container, before being cut and fried. Once fried with the eggs, eat the dish the same day, it loses its crispness on reheating. Freezing isn't recommended, the cake's texture turns mushy once thawed.

Questions about this dish

Can you use a different flour instead of rice flour?

Rice flour is key to getting the firm, slightly translucent texture of the radish cake. Wheat flour would turn out stickier and far from the real thing, so it's best not to swap it.

Why does the radish cake need to cool completely before cutting?

While still warm, the radish cake is fragile and tears under the knife, and it sticks to the blade more too. Once it's fully cooled, or chilled in the fridge for an hour, it firms up enough to cut into clean cubes.

Can you make the radish cake ahead of time?

Yes, it's actually recommended. You can steam it the day before, let it cool, keep it in the fridge, and only fry the cubes in the wok right before serving.

What if you don't have bean sprouts on hand?

You can leave them out without changing the dish's character, or swap in quickly stir fried shredded napa cabbage. The fresh crunch is what matters, not necessarily that exact vegetable.

How long does it take to make a chai tow kway, Singapore style fried radish cake?

Count 50 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in a chai tow kway, Singapore style fried radish cake?

About 650 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a chai tow kway, Singapore style fried radish cake cost?

About €2.40 per serving, or €9.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains eggs, soy, gluten. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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