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Char Kuey Teow (Stir-fried Flat Rice Noodles)

By Aim Aris and Ahmad Salim

Char Kuey Teow (Stir-fried Flat Rice Noodles)
Penang is very well known for its char kuey teow and this dish is at the top of everyone’s list when they visit. Apart from anything else, it’s always so interesting to watch the hawkers prepare it.

Char Kuey Teow Recipe (Stir-fried Flat Rice Noodles)

Some use charcoal fire and others have a gas stove, but every hawker knows that the secret to a good Char Kuey Teow (Stir-fried Flat Rice Noodles) is to work fast and cook it in a cast-iron wok over very high heat to give it its distinctive charred flavour or ‘wok hei’ (breath of the wok).

Makes 2 serves, generously

Ingredients

  • 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) fresh kuey teow (flat rice noodles)
  • 80 ml (⅓ cup) vegetable oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Malaysian chilli paste (see recipe link below)
  • 1 lap cheong (Chinese sausage), sliced diagonally
  • 8–10 large banana prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined, tails intact
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 eggs (preferably duck eggs if you have them)
  • 180 g (2 cups) bean sprouts, washed and drained
  • 2 small handfuls of garlic chives, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) lengths
  • Banana leaves, to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Prepare the rice noodles according to the packet instructions. Loosen the strands so they don’t clump together and break when you stir-fry them. Set aside.
  2. Heat a wok over high heat until it becomes a bit smoky. Add the oil, immediately followed by the garlic and chilli paste and give it a quick stir. Add the lap cheong and stir briefly, then add the prawns and stir with a spatula for 1 minute or just until they turn pink. We don’t want them fully cooked yet.
  3. Push the ingredients to the side of the wok and add the rice noodles, followed by the soy sauces and the oyster sauce. Stir- fry until some of the noodles get a little charred – this will take less than 1 minute.
  4. Push the ingredients to the side of the wok again and crack in the eggs. Let them cook undisturbed for about 20 seconds, then break the yolks and quickly mix everything together. Add the bean sprouts and garlic chives and stir for 30–40 seconds.
  5. If you have banana leaves, use them to line two serving plates, then immediately serve the char kuey teow straight from the wok.

Smart Tip

Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and within reach before you start cooking as the process will be super quick.

 

A Day in Penang by Aim Aris and Ahmad Salim, published by Smith Street Books, AUD$39.99, available 3 February.
Food photographer: Georgia Gold.

More recipes from A Day in Penang:

Nasi Goreng Cina

Mee Kari Penang

Sambal Belacan (Malaysian Chilli Paste)

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