I'm guessing there must be many hands shooting up right now. And it's not difficult to see why. Carrot cake, or chye tow kueh as it is more popularly known as to locals, is soul food to me. When I was growing up in the Tiong Bahru area (and we all know that Tiong Bahru market has some of the best hawker food around), I would never fail to have a plate of carrot cake at least twice a week. Health enthusiasts out there are probably shaking their heads at my terrible dietary habits right now. But how can anyone resist a plate of well-fried, slightly sweet, crispy yet moist and fragrant plate of carrot cake?
Unfortunately, the stall that I used to frequent at Tiong Bahru market has since closed. And I've been struggling to find another stall that serves up carrot cake the way I like it to be.
So you can imagine how rapturous and excited I was when I stumbled upon this gem of a stall in New Upper Changi Road! The taste of the carrot cake is very similar to the one I used to eat when I was a kid. But you know what the best part is? Not only is the taste similar, the price of the carrot cake is also the same! You can get a very satisfying plate for ONLY $1.50 (or $1.20 for a carrot cake without eggs)! And no, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. I couldn't help thinking to myself: "This stall never increase price...no inflation meh?"
Check out how wonderfully cheap the carrot cake is!
Anyway, just take a look at this carrot cake. Isn't it a beauty?
Now you see it...
The carrot cake is generously fried with lots of garlic and chye poh (preserved salty radish), which is the way I think all good carrot cake dishes should be done. The carrot cake itself is also soft and wobbly without being mushy. The taste is fragrant and the bits of salty chye poh in the dish combined with the sweet dark sauce that coats the carrot cake is the best taste in the world - savoury intermixed with tinges of sweetness. There is a good wok hei ("essence" imparted by a hot wok on the food - definition from Wikipedia) flavour in the carrot cake and the chilli packs a really good punch too.
What I like very much (and was pleasantly surprised) about this stall is that the stallowner makes it a point to "cut" the bigger pieces of carrot cake into smaller bits whilst frying it. This, to me, is the ultimate show of skill and knowledge in frying carrot cake. If the pieces of carrot cake are too big, there will not be enough flavour permeating through it. Hence a good carrot cake stall should fry the carrot cake in smaller bits so that when customers eat it, there are crispy bits for added texture and also, each mouthful is bursting with flavour. Many carrot cake stalls don't do that, and when I request them to, some even "tsk tsk" me rudely! So credit must definitely be given to this stall for doing that without being told to! 4.8/5
Now you don't!
The stall serves up both the white and black versions of the carrot cake. I only tried the black one though, but seeing how cheap and delicious the carrot cake is, you can bet I'll be scurrying back to try more!
Credit must be given to this auntie who fries her carrot cake so superbly!
Address:
Siglap Market Carrot Cake - Blk 58 New Upper Changi Road Hawker Centre and Market, #01-223
Open from 6am to 2pm daily (or earlier if they are sold out)
For carrot cake afficionados:
Here's a link to those who want to try their hand at making their own carrot cake at home! (and abit of a history on carrot cake!)
http://www.visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/about_singapore/fun_stuff/recipes/carrot_cake.html
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