One of the perfect at Upper Boon Keng Market, opens at 530am

I like carrot cake. I even keep in mind the primary time I ate one someday within the Nineteen Nineties— my father had taken my brother and me to Lavender Food Square and I used to be shocked once I took a chew and found it wasn’t candy. Since then, Geylang Traditional Carrot Cake and stalls prefer it have helped me develop an appreciation for this savoury native marvel.

Geylang Traditional Carrot Cake simply scraped by means of into our listing of the 12 greatest fried carrot desserts in Singapore in mid-2022. It stunned me, although, once I found that we had by no means given it a full overview.

Fortunately, it additionally gave me a possibility to make my means all the way down to the lengthily-named Upper Boon Keng Market & Food Centre and pattern one in all my favorite carrot cake dishes.

Geylang Traditional Carrot Cake is stall quantity 21 within the single-storey meals centre. You can establish it from afar because the nook stall beside the central walkway that has a reasonably lengthy queue, particularly if you happen to go to earlier than 9am or 9.30am.

The outdated uncle and auntie who run the stall make a great staff. She has a ladle in every hand, tossing and chopping and turning the aromatic carrot cake with type as he handles orders and assists with plating. I appear to recollect a time when he used to do plenty of the cooking himself.

The style hasn’t modified, although, and that’s an important factor.

What I attempted at Geylang Traditional Carrot Cake

As with nearly each different stall that makes this glorious Singaporean speciality, Geylang Traditional Carrot Cake makes each varieties. Their Carrot Cake (Black or White) (S$3/S$3.50/S$4) within reason priced for the serving measurement and comes with beneficiant proportions of components. I requested for one every of the S$3 variations.

There had been simply 2 different folks forward of me in queue once I arrived barely after 10am. However, it took nearly quarter-hour to get my order as a result of there have been quite a few folks sitting round, ready to tapau their carrot desserts.

You can attempt coming barely later for quicker service. However, it may be a dangerous tactic as they nearly at all times run out earlier than their acknowledged 12pm closing time.

My plates arrived, the White Carrot Cake earlier than its darker cousin. Which comes first is the luck of the draw— whereas the preparation of Black Carrot Cake has the additional step of including candy soy sauce, orders are dealt with in batches of 1 color, then the subsequent.

I at all times discover the white number of carrot cake a bit on the gentle facet. Of course, that doesn’t imply that the White Carrot Cake right here is at fault. It is made in response to a tried-and-tested recipe that many individuals round me had been having fun with that very minute.

Every ingredient, from the radish to the egg and even the shallot garnishing was current in beneficiant quantities. It is made crispy on the surface and while you break up the outer layers, steam comes wafting up appetisingly. I used to be having fun with merely it for some time.

But then, the Black Carrot Cake arrived.

Can you see the burst of purple on the backside of the {photograph}? That’s a little bit of scorching chilli thrown in for good measure. The distinction between the sweetness of the candy soy sauce and the warmth of the chilli is wonderful. Combine that with the well-cooked radish and the breath of freshness from the shallots and you start to grasp why Geylang Traditional Carrot Cake is so well-known.

Part of the reason being the best way through which the soy sauce takes components from all around the wok and caramelises them into little crisp bits. This makes the crispiness of the Black Carrot Cake much more satisfying. Meanwhile, many of the radish stays delicate and the mixture of textures could be very gratifying.

I had no issues cleansing up each my plates.

Final ideas

I hadn’t been to Geylang Traditional Carrot Cake in a while and it was nice to return. All the acquainted tastes and aromas got here dashing again.

You might discover that the outdated uncle and auntie have slowed down fairly a bit now. The change is sort of apparent and likewise a bit unhappy. They’ve by no means compromised on their carrot cake, although. Every dish is simply as scrumptious (particularly the black one!) as I keep in mind it ever being.

Another factor that hasn’t modified is their fantastic angle. Neither of them speaks English, so communication is at all times touch-and-go. Still, smiles and laughs go a great distance in endearing them to me and, hopefully, the sensation is mutual.

Expected harm: $3 – $4.50 per pax

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