Shiok Carrot Cake With Extra Chai Poh & Prawns By SMRT Exec-Turned-Hawker
He was mentored by the hawker hunk from Father & Son Carrot Cake.
He was mentored by the hawker hunk from Father & Son Carrot Cake.
In the midst of pandemic-related shutdowns in the F&B industry, there’s also been a curious trend of professionals leaving their cushy jobs to pursue the hawker life. Kelvin Chen, 37, recently joined the expanding ranks of PMETs-turned-hawkers with the opening of his three-month-old stall, Wah Soon Kei Carrot Cake, at Katong Shopping Centre. Located in the basement food court, which has an ’80s vibe, this is a popular spot for folks in Katong to grab an affordable meal.
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Until last September, Kelvin worked as an executive at SMRT Corporation, handling operations and facilities. He was with the company for almost ten years when he made the abrupt decision to become a hawker.
“There’s an auntie at my workplace who wanted to become a hawker, and she was interested in joining the NEA [National Environment Agency Hawkers’ Development] programme. I helped her to submit an application, and realised that, hey I could do it as well,” says the energetic first-time hawker who left his corporate job because he was stressed out by the rat race.
After his acceptance into the programme in late September, Kelvin spent eight weeks learning how to cook carrot cake and run a hawker stall. His friend, Benjamin Song, 37, decided to join him in setting up a stall together.
“We met up and I told him [Benjamin] that I just started learning to cook chai tow kway. Then I asked, ‘want to open a stall or not?’ and he replied ‘let’s go lor’,” Kelvin shares with a laugh. “He hadn’t even tasted my food at that point and he said ‘let’s go’.”
Benjamin, who’s a self-employed financial professional, adds: “Before that, we had a meetup when we were both still working, and we talked about how stressed out we were about our jobs. So when he told me about the NEA programme, I was like, let’s do it.”
“I picked chai tow kway because it’s a dish that I’ve loved since I was young. Most of the hawkers who know how to cook carrot cake are older, we seldom see younger folks doing it. I thought, maybe in 20 years, nobody will know how to make it. There is potential,” explains Kelvin. “I don’t really know how to cook [other dishes], but I felt chai tow kway is something that I can manage.”
Kelvin tells us that he wanted to be paired with Father & Son Carrot Cake – run by “hawker hunk” Walter Tay, 33, who is known for showing off his ripped bod on social media – after finding out that they were mentors in the programme. “Walter is a young guy and he’s done very well running the stall and getting good publicity. I knew I’d be able to learn a lot from him.”
After completing the programme, Kelvin spent two months working part-time at Mother & Daughter Carrot Cake at Admiralty, another stall owned by Walter’s family. “My shifu taught me that for chai tow kway, it’s all dependent on the cook. You can have an SOP [and recipe], but the chai tow kway cooked by the six of us will not taste exactly the same.”
Kelvin gets his steamed radish cake from the same supplier as Walter’s carrot cake stalls, but shares that he has made some adjustments to the recipe. “For the white version, mine is a bit more crispy. I also spend more time frying both the black and white carrot cakes as I think they get more fragrant this way. I’ve also tweaked some of the seasoning.”
Another obvious difference is the generous spoonful of chai poh (preserved radish) that accompanies every plate of chai tow kway as a garnish. “A lot of people like chai poh. Inside already have, but we also added some more on the side [to serve]. Feedback has been good so we just carry on [serving chai poh on the side].”
We’re told Walter’s family has yet to visit the stall, but Kelvin is planning to host his mentors soon.
Just like Walter, Kelvin actually comes from a family of hawkers as well. “My grandmother sold curry rice in the ’50s and ’60s. My mum and sister used to sell yong tau foo at Maxwell Food Centre. I helped out a little when I was younger, but I never learned how to cook or run a stall.”
After learning how to make carrot cake, Kelvin shared his recipe with his sister as well. “The margin [of selling yong tau foo] was slim, so I asked if my sister wanted to switch to selling chai tow kway instead.” Currently, his sister is also selling carrot cake under the same brand – an homage to their parents’ names – at Maxwell Food Centre, though the two are separate businesses.
Kelvin and Benjamin share an easy camaraderie – often cracking jokes while manning the stall. Kelvin is focused on cooking chai tow kway, while Benjamin takes orders.
We found out they have known each other since secondary school. The duo also attended the same polytechnic, and studied in the same University College Dublin logistics course offered by Kaplan. Even though this is the first time they are working together, both were quick to confirm that there has not been any major conflict so far.
“He knows my temper, and I also know his style. We’re both very extreme lah,” says Kelvin. “He’s more of a perfectionist, while I’m like ‘ok lah, eh sai jiak (can eat), can go. It’s a very good balance. We do fight sometimes, but things get resolved quickly. He’s like a brother to me,” shares Benjamin.
The pair shared that in future, they hope to expand the Wah Soon Kei brand. For now, though, their focus is on this current stall. “Right now I just want to concentrate on my cooking. When I get to a comfortable place, then I can think of how to train more people and expand the biz,” says Kelvin.
We were a bit upset upon hearing the news [that hawker centres, kopitiams & food courts can only accept a max of two diners again]. Our biz was slowly picking up after the five-person rule kicked in initially. But on the bright side, we learnt a lot during this period. We will continue to learn, grow and to push ourselves hard to overcome all uncertainties and obstacles, shares Kelvin.
That being said, biz has been doing quite well so far despite the stall opening just two days after Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) was announced.
Benjamin tells us that with the dine-in ban back then, it was surprising that they didn’t make a loss. “It was a blessing that we could break even within a month. We had a lot of support from family and friends. Now, we’re getting more and more regulars. It’s comforting to see positive reviews of our food too. Hopefully in a few more months, we will have a larger base of regular customers.”
During P2HA, the stall received about 60 orders a day. Now, that number has jumped to 80 to 90 plates, and even more than 100 on weekends. Both versions of carrot cake appear to be equally popular – which is surprising to Kelvin. “We expected white to do better, perhaps because my own preference is white as well. Look at how big the photo of the white chai tow kway is on our signboard!” he quips. “We’re happy that customers like both lah.”
Kelvin’s foremost rule for white chai tow kway? “It cannot be nua nua.” Indeed, we were treated to a crispy pile of egg-crusted radish cake, lavishly loaded with chai poh (preserved radish) – both inside the omelette and as a garnish.
The fried egg is beautifully seasoned and exudes an alluring smokiness, while the morsels of tender kway are a textural delight. We ended up finishing all of the extra radish bits – “special prep” has been done by Kelvin to control its salt levels so it isn’t overwhelming – enjoying the extra crunch and savoury-sweet notes that they add to the dish.
While frying black carrot cake, Kelvin douses the mixture with sweet dark soy sauce in three separate steps – a technique that he believes will help to enhance the fragrance of the dish, as the condiment will have more time to thoroughly caramelise in the wok.
The result is a glorious mess of fried egg, radish cake and chai poh coated in sticky, sweet dark soy sauce that’s tinged with char. Again, you’ll find a pile of signature radish garnish on the side – nicely balancing the sweetness of the soy sauce. A yummy, comforting dish that’s worth the calories.
“There were a lot of suggestions from customers as well as my mum to add prawns to our white chai tow kway, so we introduced this option in June,” says Kelvin. We enjoyed the additional crunch and succulence that the plump, slightly charred prawns brought to the dish – a lovely treat to be shared with friends or family.
Delicious chai tow kway fried with plenty of heart – it’s hard to believe it’s made by a first-time hawker who “didn’t really know how to cook” last year. Worth a try, especially if you’re a fan of chai poh. We prefer the extra fragrant black version, but would also order the ‘atas’ option with prawns for variety.
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