Radish cake,[1]turnip cake[1] or chai tow kway[a][2][3] 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,[2] but has no relation to European carrot cake.[3] 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.
In Chinese,radish cake is most commonly called luóbo gāo (蘿蔔糕) in Mandarin Chinese,lòbaahk gōu (蘿蔔糕) in Cantonese and chhài-thâu-ké (菜頭粿) in Hokkien.[4] The latter is the source of the name "chai tow kway" that is commonly used in English in Southeast Asia.
Luóbo (蘿蔔) is a common name for the daikon radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus),often more specifically called báiluóbo (白蘿蔔;"white daikon radish"). The suffix gāo (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 (菜頭) is the daikon radish,[5] while the -ké or -kóe (粿) suffix is used for various steamed rice or tapioca cakes.[6]
In Hakka,it is referred to as lò-phe̍t-pán (蘿蔔粄) or chhoi-thèu-pán (菜頭粄),[7] with the suffix -pán (粄) used to refer to snacks or cakes made from glutinous rice flour.[7]
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.[8]
In Chinese,the carrot is often referred to as "red radish"[b] 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.[3] 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.[10]
Background
Radish cake as dim sum
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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1] Subsequently,eating radish cakes spread throughout Taiwan.[1] 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.[1]
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.[11]
Singapore Infopedia ascribes the dish in that country to Teochew (Chaoshan) immigrants from China to Singapore.[2] The original dish,called bí-ko (米糕,"rice cake") or simply ko-kóe (糕粿 "(rice) cake") was made from rice flour and milled puffed rice but no radish.[2] In Singapore,it became known as char kueh (炒粿 "fried rice cake"),where it was cut into cubes and stir-fried with dark soya sauce.[2] A new name,chai tow kway,is self-attributed by hawker Ng Soik Theng,when she added radish to the cakes in the 1960s.[2] Hawker Lau Goh then became famous for a light soya sauce version in the 1970s.[2]
Preparation
Radish cake made into "black" (with dark soya sauce) and "white" (salt and fish sauce) styled chai tow kway
To prepare a radish cake,daikon roots are first shredded.[12] 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:
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,preserved radish[zh] (chai poh [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.
Variations
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 light soya sauce[zh] 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.[2]
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[c] (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]
Cultural significance
Auspicious food:radish cake slices surrounded by ang ku kueh (red tortoise cakes) in Taiwan
In Taiwan,radish cake is often eaten during the Lunar New Year,since the word for radish (菜頭;chhài-thâu) is a near homophone for "good fortune" (好彩頭;hó-chhái-thâu) in the Hokkien language.[13] For reasons that are less clear it is also a popular dish for the Chinese New Year among Cantonese,[11] although the gōu (糕) of lòbaahk gōu (蘿蔔糕) is a homophone of gōu (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. Notably,the Singaporean politician Chan Chun Sing declared his love for the dish in one of his speeches,specifying a preference of a particular variant of the dish (the "S$10 XO sauce chye tow kuay"),[14] as opposed to the one commonly found in hawker centres and coffee shops,thus illustrating the many variations of the dish available in the region.
In Taiwan,radish cake is also commonly eaten as part of breakfast,[15] and is sometimes battered with egg and (re-)fried (雞卵菜頭粿).
Gallery
Radish cake in the Hague,Netherlands
Radish cake with dipping sauce in Taiwan
Radish cake in Cleveland,Ohio,USA
Chai tow kway in Singapore
Radish cake at Dim Sum 8 in Taipei,Taiwan
Radish cake as part of a Taiwanese breakfast
Radish cake in Hong Kong
Radish cakes (white) and taro cakes for sale in a Hong Kong supermarket
12"Culture: 客家新年美食 Hakka New Year Food" (in Chinese). ICRT: We Love Hakka 客家風情. 31 December 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2026. 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。
↑Williams, Vicki (13 January 2020). "Why is eating turnip cake and nian gao sticky rice cakes believed to bring good luck during Lunar New Year?". South China Morning Post: Style. Retrieved 30 January 2026. 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.'
↑紅菜頭. 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典[Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (in Chinese and Minnan). Ministry of Education, R.O.C. 2026.
12Williams, Vicki (13 January 2020). "Why is eating turnip cake and nian gao sticky rice cakes believed to bring good luck during Lunar New Year?". South China Morning Post: Style. Retrieved 30 January 2026. 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.'
↑Bartholomew, Ian (24 January 2008). "New Year's Eve dinner: Easy as pie". Taipei Times. p.13. Retrieved 30 January 2026. 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.
↑Kowtani, Monica (16 Jan 2012). "Pay not a primary factor for PAP team: Chan Chun Sing". Channel News Asia.
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