Recipe: Char Kuey Teow

The Chinese term “Char Kuey Teow” means stir-fried flat noodles, believed to originate from the Chinese province, Guang Dong. Char Kuey Teow has a reputation of being unhealthy because of its saturated fat content. The high-fat content and low cost of the dish made it attractive to labourers as it was a cheap source of energy and nutrients. Fishermen, farmers and cockle gatherers first sold this dish throughout Southeast Asia.

Today, it is one of the most popular dishes to be found in Malaysia and Singapore. You can easily find this dish by hawker stalls and restaurants all over the nation.

Ingredients (4 Servings):

• Chilli Paste:

  • 30g seeded dried red chiles, soak in water
  • 2 fresh red chillies (seeded)
  • 3 small shallots (peeled and sliced)
  • 1 tsp. oil
  • 1 pinch salt

• Sauce:

  • 5 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 dashes white pepper powder

• Other Ingredients:

  • 12 shelled prawn
  • 450g fresh flat rice noodles, completely loosened and no clumps
  • 450g bloody cockles, extract the cockles by opening its shell
  • 2 Chinese sausages (sliced)
  • 1 bunch fresh bean sprouts
  • 1 bunch Chinese chives (cut into 2-inch length)
  • 3 cloves garlic (chopped)

Preparation Method:

1. Grind all the ingredients of the chilli paste until fine. Add one teaspoon of oil into a wok, and stir-fry the chilli paste until aromatic. Dish out and set aside.
2. Clean the wok thoroughly and heat it over high heat until it starts to smoke. Add two tablespoons oil into the wok and add half the portion of chopped garlic into the wok and do a quick stir.
3. Add six prawns half the sausage slices into the wok. Make a few quick stirs with the spatula until the prawn starts to change colour.
4. Add half the bean sprouts into the wok.
5. Immediately follow by half a portion of the flat noodles.
6. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of the sauce into the wok and stir vigorously to blend well. Using the spatula, push the noodles to one side, and add a little oil on the empty area and crack an egg on it. Use the spatula to break the egg yolk and stir to blend with the egg white. Flip the noodles and cover the egg, and wait for about 15 seconds.
7. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of chilli paste (own preference) and some cockle clams into the wok.
8. Continue to stir-fry and make sure the egg is cooked through. Add chives, do a couple of quick stirs, dish out and serve immediately.
9. Repeat the steps for the other half of the ingredients.

If you enjoyed this recipe, check out our recipe on Thai-style Char Kuey Teow- Kuey Teow Rad Na! Or, you can look through our list of the best Char Kuey Teow places to visit in KL and PJ (in our opinions) if you’re not in the mood to cook.

You can also order yourself a plate of this Malaysian classic on foodpanda if you’re too lazy to leave the house. The foodpanda app offers a large selection of local Malaysian restaurants for you to choose from, and they deliver everything straight to your doorstep!