Black and white carrot cake are popular Singapore dishes.By Natalie Black (guest contributor)
For most westerners moving to Singapore they are confused with “carrot cake” being sold at the local hawker stalls. For most Caucasians – carrot cake is a sweet baked cake with frosting that you have with your tea or coffee. It resembles nothing that comes out of a wok. In Singapore, carrot cake is very different.
“Chai tao kway”, more popularly known as carrot cake is actually fried cubes of radish cake made from white radish and steamed rice flour. It is stir-fried with garlic, eggs, preserved radish and seasonings. It comes in white and black versions. The only difference is that the “black” version is cooked with dark, sweet soy sauce giving it a different taste and appearance.
Nutrition information for one plate of White Carrot Cake
Energy: 466 calories
Protein: 11 g
Carbs: 51 g
Fat: 24 g
Nutrition information for one plate of Black Carrot Cake
Energy: 566 calories
Protein: 12 g
Carbs: 77 g
Fat: 24 g
That means that in two tablespoons of dark, sweet soy sauce added, there was 100 calories, 1g Protein, 26g carbs, 0g Fat. Just in sauce!
And the winner is…
White carrot cake.
Therefore the healthier option is to choose the white version. It’s still quite carbohydrate dominant with not a green vegetable in sight. The recommended portion size of carbohydrates is only a fist size portion. Therefore, this isn’t the healthiest, most balanced option you could choose for a meal.
If you choose to eat Carrot Cake, please remember to always follow my additional recommendations every time you eat: Eat slowly, put your utensils down between bites, and always stop when you feel 80% full because it’s better to waste it than to “waist” it.
Enjoy!
By guest contributor Natalie Black, an accredited Exercise Physiologist who blogs at The Health Guru. Via HealthMatters.sg, a Singapore Health and Fitness blog that aims to help you lose weight, keep fit, and live healthy. Click here to get our free guide “Eat Your Way to Health – Secrets of a Healthy Diet”.
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