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From HOTPLATE SG60

Chai Tow Kway with Sambal

Sister Theresa Seow remembers a neighbour who cut radish cake with string. Chris Choo starts from scratch, then fries the cubes with garlic, egg and sambal.

Hands set down the finished chai tow kway, with golden radish cake cubes and egg, in a blue bowl.
From the original HOTPLATE episode

Suggested home batch · Serves 4 · Two wok batches

Ingredients

Chris demonstrates the method in the episode. The quantities below come from the film’s suggested home batch; the amounts Chris used in the original cook were not recorded.

For the daikon cake

  • 600 g daikon (white radish), peeled and grated
  • 190 g plain rice flour
  • 40 g glutinous rice flour
  • 295 mL water, divided: 45 mL for the daikon and 250 mL for the flours
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
Rice flour being tipped into a metal mixing bowl for the daikon cake batter.
Starting the cake batter with rice flour · Original HOTPLATE footage

For the wok, divided across both batches

  • 3 tbsp pork lard
  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 small pinches of salt
  • 2 tsp sambal
  • Fish sauce to taste, optional (the card suggests 2 tsp total)
  • 2 spring onions, optional
Eggs, garlic, sambal, pork lard, fish sauce and spring onions set out for frying the chai tow kway.
The wok ingredients set out before cooking · Original HOTPLATE footage

From steamer to wok

How to make it

  1. Soften the radish. Cook the grated daikon with 45 mL of the water until the shreds turn translucent.
    Grated daikon falls into a wok above a visible flame.
    Cooking the grated daikon · Original HOTPLATE footage
  2. Thicken the batter. Whisk the rice flour and glutinous rice flour with the remaining 250 mL water, fine salt and sugar. Stir in the softened daikon and cook until the batter thickens.
    A hand whisks the white cake batter in a metal mixing bowl.
    Mixing the batter before steaming · Original HOTPLATE footage
  3. Steam, cool and cut. Spread the thick batter into a pan. Cover and steam for about an hour, until the centre is set. Cool completely so the cake firms up, then turn it out and cut it into bite-sized cubes.
    The whole unmoulded daikon cake rests on a tray before cutting.
    Cooling the cake before cutting · Original HOTPLATE footage
  4. Start the first wok batch. Heat 1½ tbsp lard and fry 3 chopped garlic cloves until fragrant. Add half the cubes and a small pinch of salt. Let the cake begin to brown.
    Chris holds a plate of daikon cake cubes over the hot pan.
    The cake cubes go in after the garlic · Original HOTPLATE footage
  5. Scramble and char. Scramble 2 eggs through the cubes until the egg sets. Keep turning the cake until the edges pick up a little char.
    A wooden spatula turns the egg and daikon cake cubes together in the pan.
    Turning the eggs through the cake · Original HOTPLATE footage
  6. Finish with sambal. Toss through 1 tsp sambal at the end. If using fish sauce, season to taste; the card suggests 1 tsp and 1 optional spring onion per batch. Repeat with the remaining half.
    A wooden spatula folds bright red sambal through the daikon cake and egg.
    Sambal goes in last · Original HOTPLATE footage

For the wok, follow the colour and texture in the film. It gives no fixed frying time.

From the episode

Watch the film.

See this lesson in the collection Watch on YouTube

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