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How to cook Char kway teow

Char kway teow is a Singapore stir-fried noodle dish made with flat rice noodles, cockles, prawns, Chinese sausage and egg, tossed over very high heat in a mix of light and dark soy sauces until smoky, sweet and slightly caramelised. This home version uses a wok and a hot burner to get as close as possible to that charred, wok-fried flavour.

Ingredients

For the noodles and main stir-fry

• 400 g fresh flat rice noodles (kway teow), at room temperature
• 100 g yellow egg noodles (optional, for a mixed-noodle version)
• 6 medium prawns, peeled and deveined, tails left on
• 100 g blood cockles, shelled (frozen or fresh, blanched)
• 1 Chinese sausage (lap cheong), thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 4 fish cake slices, cut into thin strips
• 2 eggs
• 100 g bean sprouts, tails trimmed
• 50 g garlic chives (ku chai), cut into 4 cm lengths
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp pork lard or neutral cooking oil, divided
• 1 tbsp crispy pork lard bits (optional, for garnish)

For the sauce

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (preferably the sweet, thick kind)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper

For the chilli paste and serving

• 1-2 tbsp sambal chilli paste or chilli paste to taste
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 red chilli, sliced, for garnish

Steps

1. Prepare the noodles5 min
   Gently separate the fresh rice noodles with your fingers so they are not clumped together. If they are cold and stiff, rest them in a bowl of warm tap water for 1-2 minutes, then drain well and shake dry. The noodles should be loose and pliable but not wet. Toss in the egg noodles if using.
2. Mix the sauce2 min
   In a small bowl, stir together the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, fish sauce, water and white pepper until the sugar dissolves. Set it right next to the stove.
3. Prep and line up ingredients8 min
   Cook the sliced lap cheong in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until it releases some oil and edges turn glossy; set aside. Pat the prawns and cockles dry with paper towels so they fry rather than steam. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Arrange everything within arm's reach, because the stir-fry moves fast.
4. Heat the wok3 min
   Place a large wok (or your heaviest wide pan) over the highest heat for 2-3 minutes until it is smoking lightly. This heat is what gives the smoky wok flavour, so do not rush it. Cook this dish in one batch for two portions only; a crowded wok will steam the noodles.
5. Fry the aromatics and prawns2 min
   Add 2 tbsp lard or oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and stir for about 10 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Add the prawns and fry for 1 minute, flipping once, until they turn pink and curl. Add the cockles and sausage and toss for 20 seconds, then push everything to one side of the wok.
6. Cook the egg1 min
   Add the remaining 2 tbsp lard or oil to the empty side of the wok. Pour in the eggs and let them sit for about 10 seconds, then scramble roughly into large, soft curds. Break them up slightly with your spatula but keep them in pieces.
7. Add noodles and sauce2 min
   Tip in the noodles and fish cake strips immediately. Pour the sauce around the edge of the wok, not directly onto the noodles, so it sizzles and caramelises on the hot metal. Toss and fold continuously with a wok spatula, lifting from the bottom, for about 2 minutes.
8. Char the noodles1 min
   Spread the noodles out and leave them undisturbed for 15-20 seconds to pick up some char, then toss again. Repeat once or twice. The noodles should look glossy and dark brown with a few lightly blackened edges and smell smoky and sweet.
9. Add chilli, sprouts and chives1 min
   Stir in the chilli paste, bean sprouts and garlic chives. Toss for 30-40 seconds only, until the sprouts are just wilted but still have a bit of crunch and the chives turn bright green. Taste a strand and adjust with a splash of light soy sauce if it needs more salt.
10. Plate and serve
    Divide between two plates straight away while piping hot. Scatter with crispy pork lard bits and sliced red chilli if using, and serve with lime wedges on the side to squeeze over.

Tips

• Cook one or two portions at a time at most. A home burner is far weaker than a hawker stove, and overcrowding drops the wok temperature so the noodles stew instead of char.
• Fresh kway teow from the wet market or supermarket chiller works best. Use it the same day, since it hardens and breaks if refrigerated for long.
• Keep the noodles at room temperature before frying and separate them gently; cold, clumped noodles tear and stick to the wok.
• Pouring the sauce down the hot sides of the wok, rather than over the noodles, helps build that caramelised, smoky edge.
• If you cannot find cockles, add a few extra prawns or a handful of sliced squid instead.

Food safety and allergens

Cook the prawns until they are fully pink and opaque, and make sure the cockles are heated through and not served raw or lukewarm. Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours, eat within 1 day, and reheat until steaming hot throughout.

Contains: egg, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat

Watch it being made

• Char Kway Teow Recipe | Penang Char Kway Teow | Stir-fried Rice Noodles| 炒粿條Luveena Lee · 1,005,927 views · YouTube
• Char Kway Teow - Marion's KitchenMarion Grasby · 340,242 views · YouTube
• Singapore Char Kway Teow w/ Fresh Cockles 新加坡鲜蛤炒粿条 Hawker Rice Noodle RecipeSpice N' Pans · 314,592 views · YouTube

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