{{Short description|Dim sum dish}} {{Redirect-distinguish-text|Chai tow kway|Char kway teow, a stir-fried noodle dish}} {{Infobox prepared food | name = Radish cake | image = 香煎蘿蔔糕 “Fried Turnip Cake”, 利苑酒家午市點心 Lei Garden Lunchtime Dim Sum SML.20120925.G12.00418 (8085981921).jpg | image_size = 300 | image_alt = Three pan-fried radish cake slices on a small dim sum plate with a garnish of parsley | caption = | alternate_name = Turnip cake, ''chai tow kway'', carrot cake | country = East and Southeast Asia | associated_cuisine = Chinese | region = Southern China (Chaoshan, Guangdong, Hong Kong), Taiwan, Singapore, Overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia | creator = | type = | course = Dim sum, yum cha | served = | main_ingredient = Shredded daikon radish, plain rice flour | variations = pan fried, steamed, stir fried | other = }} {{Chinese |t={{linktext|蘿蔔糕}} |s=萝卜糕 |l=radish cake |p=luóbo gāo |mi={{IPAc-cmn|l|uo|2|b|o|5|g|ao|1}} |y=lòbaahk gōu |ci={{IPAc-yue|l|o|4|b|aak|6|g|ou|1}} |j=lo⁴ baak⁶ gou¹ |altname=Chai tow kway |t2=菜頭粿 |s2=菜头粿 |poj2=chhài-thâu-kóe,<br>chhài-thâu-ké |showflag=poj |teo2=tshài-thâu-kué |buc2=chái-tàu-guōi |c3=菜頭粄 |phfs3=chhoi-thèu-pán |vie=bánh củ cải |tha=ขนมผักกาด |rtgs=khanom phak kat |my=အော်ကေ့ကျီ |bi={{IPA|my|ɔ̀kḛʧì|}} }} '''Radish cake''',<ref name="Chen"/> '''turnip cake'''<ref name="Chen"/> or '''''chai tow kway'''''{{efn|Also '''''chye tow kway''''', '''''chye tow kueh''''', '''''chai tau kueh''''' etc.<ref name="Tan"/>}}<ref name="Tan"/><ref name="Rennick"/> is a Chinese dish made of steamed rice flour and shredded daikon radish often served as dim sum. It is traditionally called '''carrot cake''' in Singapore,<ref name="Tan"/> but has no relation to European carrot cake.<ref name="Rennick"/> Radish cake is commonly served in Cantonese and Teochew (Chaoshan) ''yum cha'', usually cut into rectangular slices and sometimes pan-fried before serving. Each pan-fried cake has a thin crunchy layer on the outside from frying, and is soft on the inside, whereas the steamed version is soft all over. Often served with a soya-oyster dipping sauce, it is one of the standard dishes found in the dim sum cuisine of China and is widely consumed in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam, as well as in overseas Chinatown restaurants. In Southeast Asia, the cakes are often chopped into smaller cubes and stir fried with additional ingredients.
==Names== In Chinese, radish cake is most commonly called ''luóbo gāo'' ({{lang|zh|蘿蔔糕}}) in Mandarin Chinese, ''lòbaahk gōu'' ({{lang|zh|蘿蔔糕}}) in Cantonese and ''chhài-thâu-ké'' ({{lang|zh|菜頭粿}}) in Hokkien.<ref>{{cite dictionary|script-title=zh:菜頭粿 |url=https://sutian.moe.edu.tw/zh-hant/su/8972/ |script-encyclopedia=zh:教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 |trans-encyclopedia=Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi |lang=zh, nan |publisher=Ministry of Education, R.O.C.|date=2026}}</ref> The latter is the source of the name "chai tow kway" that is commonly used in English in Southeast Asia.
''Luóbo'' ({{lang|zh|蘿蔔}}) is a common name for the daikon radish (''Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus''), often more specifically called ''báiluóbo'' ({{lang|zh|白蘿蔔}}; "white daikon radish"). The suffix ''gāo'' ({{lang|zh|糕}}) refers to "cake" in a very broad sense and includes various cakes, loafs and pastes, whether sweet or savoury, such as ''nian gao''. Likewise, the Hokkien ''chhài-thâu'' ({{lang|zh|菜頭}}) is the daikon radish,<ref>{{cite dictionary|script-title=zh:菜頭 |url=https://sutian.moe.edu.tw/zh-hant/su/8970/ |script-encyclopedia=zh:教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 |trans-encyclopedia=Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi |lang=zh, nan |publisher=Ministry of Education, R.O.C.|date=2026}}</ref> while the ''-ké'' or ''-kóe'' ({{lang|zh|粿}}) suffix is used for various steamed rice or tapioca cakes.<ref name="Claire"/>
In Hakka, it is referred to as ''lò-phe̍t-pán'' ({{lang|zh|蘿蔔粄}}) or ''chhoi-thèu-pán'' ({{lang|zh|菜頭粄}}),<ref name="Hakka"/> with the suffix ''-pán'' ({{lang|zh|粄}}) used to refer to snacks or cakes made from glutinous rice flour.<ref name="Hakka"/>
Though the turnip (''Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a different plant to a radish, the common English name "turnip cake" likely arose because white daikon radishes were largely unknown outside of East and Southeast Asia and the name "turnip" was applied due to their similar appearance.<ref name="Williams-name"/>
In Chinese, the carrot is often referred to as "red radish"{{efn|''nb'' Mandarin ''hóngluóbo'' ({{lang|zh|紅蘿蔔}}), Cantonese ''hùhnglòhbaahk'' ({{lang|zh|紅蘿蔔}}) and Hokkien ''âng-chhài-thâu'' ({{lang|zh|紅菜頭}})<ref>{{cite dictionary|script-title=zh:紅菜頭 |url=https://sutian.moe.edu.tw/zh-hant/su/5419/ |script-encyclopedia=zh:教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 |trans-encyclopedia=Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi |lang=zh, nan |publisher=Ministry of Education, R.O.C.|date=2026}}</ref>}} As a result, the English word "carrot" has been transferred to the daikon radish in Singapore and Malaysia and the name "fried carrot cake" or simply "carrot cake" came to be applied to the radish cake, though it is unrelated to the sweet European carrot cake.<ref name="Rennick"/> This misnomer gave the title to a popular 2010 guidebook on Singapore's street food, ''There's No Carrot in Carrot Cake'' by Ruth Wan, Roger Hiew and Leslie Tay.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wan |first1=Ruth |last2=Hiew |first2=Roger |last3=Tay |first3=Leslie |date=2010 |title=There's no carrot in carrot cake |publisher=Epigram |isbn=9789810828653 |oclc=538153593 }}</ref>
==Background== thumb|Radish cake as dim sum|alt=Three thick slices (rectangular cuboids) of unadorned radish cake on a plate with a small bowl of dipping sauce to the left side In Taiwan, one story explaining the popularity of the dish and its significance at the Lunar New Year goes back to the 17th century Qing takeover of Taiwan.<ref name="Chen"/> Before his suicide in the face of this takeover, exiled pretender to the Ming throne Zhu Shugui bequeathed farmland that he owned to local farmers.<ref name="Chen"/> In gratitude, these people and their descendants secretly went to his grave venerate him, using radish cakes as one of their offerings on his death anniversary, on his birthday and at the Lunar New Year.<ref name="Chen"/> This veneration of the last Ming claimant was conducted in secret and passed down through the generations until the end of Qing rule in 1895.<ref name="Chen"/> Subsequently, eating radish cakes spread throughout Taiwan.<ref name="Chen"/> Daikon radishes were largely a winter crop in Taiwan, making radish cakes a seasonal specialty, but innovations in cultivation and development of new radish varieties in the 20th century have allowed it to become a year-round favorite.<ref name="Chen"/>
In Hong Kong, it is speculated that the association of the dish with the Lunar New Year arose from radishes being cheaper and of better quality in the winter.<ref name="Williams-origin"/>
''Singapore Infopedia'' ascribes the dish in that country to Teochew (Chaoshan) immigrants from China to Singapore.<ref name="Tan"/> The original dish, called ''bí-ko'' ({{lang|zh|米糕}}, "rice cake") or simply ''ko-kóe'' ({{lang|zh|糕粿}} "(rice) cake") was made from rice flour and milled puffed rice but no radish.<ref name="Tan"/> In Singapore, it became known as ''char kueh'' ({{lang|zh|炒粿}} "fried rice cake"), where it was cut into cubes and stir-fried with dark soya sauce.<ref name="Tan"/> A new name, ''chai tow kway'', is self-attributed by hawker Ng Soik Theng, when she added radish to the cakes in the 1960s.<ref name="Tan"/> Hawker Lau Goh then became famous for a light soya sauce version in the 1970s.<ref name="Tan"/>
==Preparation== [[File:Chai tow kway.jpg|thumb|Radish cake made into "black" (with dark soya sauce) and "white" (salt and fish sauce) styled ''chai tow kway''|alt=Photo of two plates of stir-fried radish cakes, "white" in the foreground and "black" in the background]] To prepare a radish cake, daikon roots are first shredded.<ref name="tastehongkong"/> Chinese radish, either the white-and-green variety or the all-white variety, is one of the key ingredients since it makes up a large portion of the cake. The other key ingredients are water and rice flour. Corn starch is sometimes added as it aids in binding the cake together, especially when a large number of additional ingredients (see list below) are added. The ingredients are stirred together until combined.
Additional ingredients that provide umami flavouring can be also added. They include diced or minced pieces of: * Dried shrimp * Dried shiitake * Chinese sausage * Jinhua ham
These flavouring ingredients may first be stir-fried before being added to the radish and flour/starch mixture. Somewhat more luxurious cakes will add larger amounts of these ingredients directly to the mixture. Cheaper variants, especially those sold in dim sum restaurants, will often have just a sprinkling on top to keep costs down.
This mixture is then poured into a steamer lined with greased aluminum foil or cellophane, and steamed at high heat for 40 to 60 minutes until it solidifies into a gelatinous mass.
The radish cake is often served in large rectangular slabs which are steamed and then later fried whole.
As ''chai tow kway'', it is steamed and then stir-fried in a wok with eggs, {{ill|preserved radish|zh|蘿蔔乾}} (chai poh [{{lang|zh|菜脯}}]), and other seasonings. It is commonly served topped with spring onions (scallions). In hawker stalls, it is sometimes served wrapped in a banana leaf and may be eaten with a bamboo skewer.
==<span class="anchor" id="Char kway kak"></span>Variations== thumb|Radish cake slices fried in egg and spring onions Although the steamed radish cakes can be consumed plain dipped in soya sauce, they are commonly cooked again to add additional flavors. For instance, they can be sliced into rectangular pieces when cooled and then pan-fried until both sides turn golden. They are then served with chili sauce and/or hoisin sauce on the side as condiments.
The Cantonese radish cake typical of dim sum restaurants is soft and often filled with other ingredients. Taiwanese radish cake is firmer with fewer other ingredients mixed in.
Radish cake can also be stir-fried and made into the dish ''chai tow kway''. In Singapore, however, it is more commonly cut into pieces and stir-fried with eggs, garlic, spring onions (scallions) and occasionally shrimp (both dried and fresh). There are two variants: the "white" version uses a {{ill|light soya sauce|zh|生抽|display=light soya sauce}} and/or fish sauce, and the radish cake is fried on top of a beaten egg to form a crust; the "black" version uses sweet dark soya sauce, and the egg is simply mixed in with the radish cake. Sometimes the cubes of radish cake and ingredients are all cooked together as a large omelette or pancake.<ref name="Tan"/>
The versions served by hawkers in Singapore and Johor in southern Malaysia, where Teochew people live, are typically prepared by frying the radish cake with chopped preserved daikon, diced garlic, eggs, and Chinese fish sauce in place of soya sauce. Chopped spring onions are added just before serving. Further northwards in Malaya (e.g. in Kuala Lumpur), the same dish is darker due to the use of dark soya sauce, and bean sprouts are added. In Penang, this darker version is known as '''''char koay kak'''''{{efn|Also ''char kway kak, char kueh kak'' etc.}} ({{lang|zh|炒粿角}}; ''chhá-kóe-kak''; "fried [rice] cake cubes"). Darker versions are seldom served in Singapore but are more common in Malaysia.
Taro cakes closely resemble radish cakes, and alternatives to the rice flour and radish ''chai tow kway'' include those made of taro or solely of rice flour, the latter common in Malaysia. For those with allergies to radishes, some recipes substitute turnip for radish.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}}
==Cultural significance== [[File:Red Tortoise Cakes and Carrot Cakes (Taiwan).jpg|thumb|Auspicious food: radish cake slices surrounded by ''ang ku kueh'' (red tortoise cakes) in Taiwan|alt=Large banquet plate with unadorned radish cake slices, small oval ''ang ku kueh'' (red tortoise cakes), a small bowl of dipping sauce and a pair of chopsticks]] In Taiwan, radish cake is often eaten during the Lunar New Year, since the word for radish ({{Lang-zh|t=菜頭|poj=chhài-thâu|labels=no}}) is a near homophone for "good fortune" ({{Lang-zh|t=好彩頭|poj=hó-chhái-thâu|labels=no}}) in the Hokkien language.<ref name="Batholomew"/> For reasons that are less clear it is also a popular dish for the Chinese New Year among Cantonese,<ref name="Williams-origin"/> although the ''gōu'' ({{lang|zh|糕}}) of ''lòbaahk gōu'' ({{lang|zh|蘿蔔糕}}) is a homophone of ''gōu'' ({{lang|zh|高}}) meaning "high" and indicating a wish for rising prosperity in the new year (''cf.'' ''nian gao'').
The dish is popular in Singapore and Malaysia, enjoyed by Teochews as well as people of various dialects and races, and served in both hawker stalls and upscale Chinese restaurants. It is a much-loved local comfort food in the region, and can be consumed at various times of the day; it goes from being a breakfast dish, to a main lunch dish, to a late-night supper dish. Many public figures are also known to have a fondness for the dish.
In Taiwan, radish cake is also commonly eaten as part of breakfast,<ref name="Teng"/> and is sometimes battered with egg and (re-)fried ({{lang|zh|雞卵菜頭粿}}).
==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed" widths="150px" heights="150px"> File:2016 0626 lo bak gow.jpg|Radish cake in the Hague, Netherlands File:Food (25455396733).jpg|Radish cake with dipping sauce in Taiwan File:Li Wah Dim Sum-29 (6737516787).jpg|Radish cake in Cleveland, Ohio, USA File:Chai Tow Kway (54154447543).jpg|''Chai tow kway'' in Singapore File:Food 點8號, 米其林星級主廚專賣店, 台北, 台灣, Taipei, Taiwan (31206409627).jpg|Radish cake at Dim Sum 8 in Taipei, Taiwan File:Sliced pan-fried turnip cake with a sandwich as breakfast in Taiwan 19970330.jpg|Radish cake as part of a Taiwanese breakfast File:HK 中環 Central 聖安娜餅屋 Saint Honor Cake Shop food 蘿蔔糕 Carrot cake January 2020 SS2 04.jpg|Radish cake in Hong Kong File:HK SKD TKO 將軍澳 Tseung Kwan O Plaza TKO Mart market shop 佳寶食品 Kai Bo Food Supermarket January 2023 Px3 rabbit cakes.jpg|Radish cakes (white) and taro cakes for sale in a Hong Kong supermarket File:Carrot new year pudding in new year.jpg|A whole homemade radish cake with shrimp </gallery>
==See also== {{Portal|Food|Asia}} * Nian gao, a similar Chinese rice cake also eaten at New Years * Bánh bột chiên, a similar Vietnamese rice cake * O-tao, a similar Thai taro-based dish * Water chestnut cake, a dim sum cake of similar appearance * List of steamed foods
==Notes== {{Notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="Batholomew">{{cite news |first=Ian |last=Bartholomew |date=24 January 2008 |title=New Year's Eve dinner: Easy as pie |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2008/01/24/2003398676 |newspaper= Taipei Times |page=13 |access-date=30 January 2026|quote=In Hoklo, radish (菜頭, chhai-thau) is a homophone for "good fortune" (好彩頭 ho-chhai-thau). To ensure that the radish isn't embarrassed because of its humble origins, it is often served as radish cake, which dresses the vegetable up with shrimp, dried mushrooms and other more costly ingredients.}}</ref> <ref name="Chen">{{cite journal|author=Chen Chun-fang |title=A Traditional Rice-Based Food: The Ever-Popular Radish Cake |url=https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=9eeb02c6-7bca-42ea-9992-7d73602374f7 |journal=Taiwan Panorama |translator-first=Phil|translator-last=Newell|date=July 2022 |access-date=30 January 2026}}</ref> <ref name="Claire">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.nyonyacooking.com/magazine/all-about-kueh-guide~zaUN1U0v|title=All About Kueh Guide|author=Claire|magazine=Nyonya Cooking|date=27 March 2020|access-date=8 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250414053908/https://www.nyonyacooking.com/magazine/all-about-kueh-guide~zaUN1U0v|archive-date=14 April 2025|url-status=dead}}</ref> <ref name="Hakka">{{cite web|title=Culture: 客家新年美食 Hakka New Year Food |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-love-hakka-culture-%E5%AE%A2%E5%AE%B6%E6%96%B0%E5%B9%B4%E7%BE%8E%E9%A3%9F-hakka-new-year-food/id1628094979?i=1000683109241 |publisher=ICRT: We Love Hakka 客家風情 |date=31 December 2024 |access-date=30 January 2026| lang=zh |quote=粄：打粄就是要讓團聚在一起的大家隨時有得吃食，農曆年前蘿蔔正好收成，就做「蘿蔔粄/菜頭粄」，過年當然要蒸「甜粄」（年糕）來矺神桌，另外像「紅豆粄」、「鹹甜粄」以及有吉祥喜氣、來年大發寓意的「發粄」等。}}</ref> <ref name="Rennick">{{cite news|first=Lucy |last=Rennick |title=Singapore's carrot cake is not what you think it is |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/singapores-carrot-cake-is-not-what-you-think-it-is/98sfi1cul |work=SBS Food |date= 25 May 2020 |access-date=30 January 2026}}</ref> <ref name="Tan">{{cite encyclopedia|first=Bonny |last=Tan |title= Carrot Cake |url=https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=509e9c8b-898e-4858-96c7-c7ecc6f556f2 |encyclopedia=Singapore Infopedia |publisher=National Library Singapore|date=5 June 2013 |access-date=30 January 2026}}</ref> <ref name="tastehongkong">{{cite web|url=http://www.tastehongkong.com/recipes/turnip-or-radish-cake-with-chinese-sausages/ |title=Turnip or Radish Cake with Chinese Sausages |work=tastehongkong.com |date=February 23, 2010 |access-date=6 September 2012 |archive-date=8 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208072515/http://www.tastehongkong.com/recipes/turnip-or-radish-cake-with-chinese-sausages/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> <ref name="Teng">{{cite journal|first=Cathy |last=Teng |title= The Best Way to Start the Day!: Breakfasts in Taiwan |url=https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=24a794e0-da5d-4526-b90d-39b0dbcbfce6 |journal=Taiwan Panorama |translator-first=Jonathan|translator-last=Barnard|date=July 2023 |access-date=30 January 2026}}</ref> <ref name="Williams-name">{{cite news|first=Vicki |last=Williams |title=Why is eating turnip cake and nian gao sticky rice cakes believed to bring good luck during Lunar New Year? |work=South China Morning Post: Style |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3045563/why-eating-turnip-cake-and-nian-gao-sticky-rice-cakes |date=13 January 2020 |access-date=30 January 2026 |quote=The dish's English name is a simple case of lost in translation, according to Lau Chi-Man, dim sum head chef of Michelin-starred Hong Kong restaurant Duddell's. 'Previously, it was rare to see white radish outside Asia, and the look of it is similar to turnip. People used that name for a long time before realising the mistake, but the name turnip cake stayed.'}}</ref> <ref name="Williams-origin">{{cite news|first=Vicki |last=Williams |title=Why is eating turnip cake and nian gao sticky rice cakes believed to bring good luck during Lunar New Year? |work=South China Morning Post: Style |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3045563/why-eating-turnip-cake-and-nian-gao-sticky-rice-cakes |date=13 January 2020|access-date=30 January 2026 | quote=But how it came to be associated with Lunar New Year is unclear. Tse Sun Fuk, head dim sum chef at another Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong, Ming Court, says: 'The origin of turnip cake is divergent. Some say that many Cantonese in the Guangdong region were poor, and Chinese white radishes are cheap and grow best in cold weather. So it started to be commonly used to make Chinese cakes during Lunar New Year.'}}</ref> }}
==External links== {{Commons category|Radish cakes}} * [http://www.hillmans.soupbo.com/soos/lobakgoh.html Sue-On's Kitchen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805055317/http://hillmans.soupbo.com/soos/lobakgoh.html |date=2009-08-05 }}
{{Cantonese cuisine}} {{Chaozhou cuisine}} {{Indonesian cuisine}} {{Singaporean cuisine|state=collapsed}} {{Malaysian cuisine}} {{Thai cuisine}} {{Chinese New Year}}
Category:Dim sum Category:Cantonese cuisine Category:Hong Kong cuisine Category:Teochew cuisine Category:Malaysian cuisine Category:Singaporean cuisine Category:Thai cuisine Category:Chinese New Year foods Category:Vegetable dishes Category:Steamed foods