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How to cook Kway chap

Kway chap is a Teochew-style bowl of broad rice sheets rolled into curls and served in a peppery, dark soy-based braising broth, alongside slices of braised pork belly, offal, tofu and egg. It is eaten with a sharp chilli-vinegar dip and a little of the braising liquid ladled over everything.

Serves 4Prep 1 hrCook 2 hr 30 minTotal 3 hr 30 minHard

Ingredients

For cleaning the offal

  • 500 g pig's intestines, large intestine preferred, from the wet market
  • 200 g pig's stomach or pig's ear (optional)
  • 4 tbsp coarse salt
  • 4 tbsp plain flour (for scrubbing)
  • 3 tbsp white vinegar
  • 3 slices ginger, for blanching

For the braising liquid

  • 800 g pork belly, skin on, in one or two thick slabs
  • 3 litres water
  • 150 ml dark soy sauce
  • 100 ml light soy sauce
  • 60 g rock sugar
  • 1 head garlic, unpeeled, halved crosswise
  • 6 slices ginger
  • 4 stalks coriander roots and stems, washed
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 stick (5 cm) cinnamon
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 2 dried liquorice root slices (optional)
  • 1 tsp white peppercorns, lightly crushed
  • 1 tsp salt, to adjust

To braise alongside

  • 4 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
  • 2 blocks (about 300 g) firm tofu, cut in half
  • 4 firm tau kwa (pressed beancurd), halved
  • 1 packet (about 200 g) fried tofu puffs

For the kway (rice sheets)

  • 400 g fresh flat rice sheets (kway chap noodle sheets) or dried kway chap sheets
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil, to prevent sticking

For the chilli-vinegar dip

  • 8 red chillies, deseeded if you want milder
  • 3 bird's eye chillies (cili padi), optional for heat
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp braising liquid, cooled
  • 1/2 tsp salt

For serving

  • 3 tbsp fried shallots
  • 2 stalks spring onion, finely sliced
  • 1 small bunch coriander leaves
  • 1 tsp ground white pepper
  • 2 tbsp pickled green chilli or pickled mustard greens (optional)

Steps

  1. Scrub the intestines15 min
    In a large bowl, rub the intestines hard with the coarse salt, flour and vinegar for 3 to 4 minutes, kneading and squeezing until the surface feels clean and not slimy. Turn the intestines inside out if you can, using a chopstick, and scrub the inner surface the same way. Rinse under running water until the water runs clear. Repeat with the stomach or ear, if using.
  2. Blanch the offal10 min
    Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat with the 3 slices of ginger. Add the cleaned offal and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside. This removes the strong odour and scum.
  3. Blanch the pork belly7 min
    In the same pot with fresh boiling water, blanch the pork belly for 5 minutes over high heat until the surface turns pale and scum rises. Drain and rinse well, then pat dry.
  4. Toast the spices3 min
    In a dry pot over medium-low heat, toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds and peppercorns for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Tie them with the liquorice slices, if using, in a muslin bag or a large tea infuser so they are easy to remove later.
  5. Build the braising liquid8 min
    Add the 3 litres of water to the pot with the spice bag, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, rock sugar, halved garlic head, ginger slices and coriander roots. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  6. Braise the pork belly and offal1 hr 15 min
    Lower the pork belly and the blanched intestines (and stomach or ear, if using) into the liquid, making sure they are submerged. Once boiling, reduce to the lowest heat, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and simmer gently for about 1 hour 15 minutes. The pork belly is done when a chopstick slides through the meat and skin with very little resistance. Skim any foam in the first 15 minutes.
  7. Add eggs, tofu and puffs30 min
    Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs, firm tofu, tau kwa and fried tofu puffs to the pot. Keep at a bare simmer for a further 30 minutes so they take on colour and flavour. Taste the liquid and add up to 1 tsp salt if needed; it should be savoury and rounded, not harsh.
  8. Rest the meat in the liquid20 min
    Turn off the heat and let everything sit in the braising liquid for 20 minutes. The intestines should be tender but still slightly chewy, not mushy. Remove the spice bag and garlic head at this point and discard.
  9. Make the chilli-vinegar dip5 min
    Blend the red chillies, bird's eye chillies (if using), garlic, vinegar, sugar, light soy sauce, 3 tbsp cooled braising liquid and salt into a coarse, loose paste. Taste and adjust: it should be sharp, a little sweet and salty. Spoon into small dipping saucers.
  10. Prepare the kway8 min
    If using fresh rice sheets, separate them gently. Bring a pot of water to a boil, drop in the sheets and blanch for 30 to 45 seconds until soft and pliable; drain well and toss with 1 tbsp oil. If using dried sheets, boil for 4 to 6 minutes (follow the pack) until soft and translucent, then drain and toss with oil. Roll or fold each sheet loosely into a curl.
  11. Slice the meat and offal8 min
    Lift the pork belly onto a board and slice into 1 cm thick pieces. Cut the intestines on the diagonal into 2 to 3 cm pieces, and slice the stomach or ear thinly. Halve the eggs and cut the tofu into thick pieces.
  12. Reheat the broth5 min
    Bring 1 litre of the braising liquid to a gentle boil in a clean pot, thinning with a little hot water if it tastes too salty. Add the ground white pepper and keep hot over low heat.
  13. Assemble the bowls3 min
    Divide the kway curls between 4 bowls. Arrange the sliced pork belly, offal, egg halves, tofu and tofu puffs on top. Ladle the hot braising broth over so the kway is warmed through.
  14. Garnish and serve
    Scatter fried shallots, spring onion and coriander over each bowl. Serve straight away with the chilli-vinegar dip and pickled chilli on the side, dipping pieces of meat and tofu into the dip as you eat.

Tips

  • Ask the wet market seller to pre-clean the intestines and turn them inside out; you will still need to scrub them, but it saves effort.
  • Keep the braise at a bare, lazy simmer. A hard boil toughens the offal and makes the broth cloudy and bitter.
  • Make the braise a day ahead and refrigerate; the flavour deepens and you can lift off excess fat before reheating.
  • Dried kway chap sheets are easier to find in supermarkets than fresh ones; cook them just before serving so they do not go gummy.
  • Adjust saltiness at the end: reduced braising liquid gets saltier, so thin it with hot water rather than adding more soy sauce.

Food safety and allergens

Pork and offal must be cooked through and served piping hot; the intestines should be fully tender, not rubbery or pink. Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours, and eat within 2 days, reheating the broth to a rolling boil before serving.

Contains: egg, soy, wheat

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Recipe written by asklor!'s AI and checked for completeness - not official data and not a chef's recipe. Cooking times vary with your stove and pans; always check food is cooked through. Videos are made by their YouTube creators; asklor! is not affiliated with them or with YouTube.