Char Kway Teow

About This Recipe

Char kway teow (炒粿條, meaning 'stir-fried rice noodle') is one of Malaysia and Singapore's most beloved hawker dishes, and its preparation is a study in the importance of 'wok hei' — the smoky, slightly charred flavor that can only be achieved with an extremely hot wok and a skilled cook. A great char kway teow stall owner is a celebrity; their queue stretches down the street. The dish is simple in ingredients but demands intense heat (many home stoves cannot achieve it), speed, and good judgment about when to add each element. The combination of sweet dark soy, savory shrimp, and the slight char of the rice noodles in a hot wok is addictive.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 400 gfresh flat rice noodles (kway teow)
• 150 glarge shrimp(peeled)
• 2 linksChinese lap cheong sausage(sliced diagonally)
• 2 largeeggs
• 100 gbean sprouts
• 3 stalksChinese chives (garlic chives)(cut into 3cm pieces)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tbspdark soy sauce
• 1 tbsplight soy sauce
• 1 tbspoyster sauce
• 2 tbsplard or vegetable oil
• 1 tbspchili paste (sambal)

Instructions

1. 1

   Separate the noodles

   Carefully separate fresh noodles into individual strands. Set aside.

2. 2

   Heat the wok

   Heat wok over the highest flame for 2 minutes until smoking. Add lard.

3. 3

   Stir-fry

   Add garlic and sausage. Fry 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook 1 minute. Push to the side.

4. 4

   Add noodles and sauce

   Add noodles, dark soy, light soy, and oyster sauce. Toss rapidly, spreading noodles to contact the wok.

5. 5

   Add egg and vegetables

   Push noodles aside. Crack eggs in the center. Scramble briefly. Fold into noodles. Add bean sprouts and chives. Toss 1 minute.

Variations

• •

  Add cockles (kerang) for authenticity

• •

  Use duck eggs instead of chicken eggs for extra richness

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Does not reheat well — the noodles become soggy and the wok hei flavor disappears.

Frequently Asked Questions