Description
Char Kway Teow is a popular Malaysian stir-fried noodle dish featuring wide rice noodles, succulent prawns, Chinese sausage, fish cake, crunchy bean sprouts, and garlic chives, all tossed in a savory, slightly sweet soy-based sauce. This quick and flavorful dish is prepared by stir-frying over high heat to achieve the perfect smoky aroma known as ‘wok hei.’ Ideal for a quick dinner, it balances textures and tastes for a satisfying meal that serves 2-3 people.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 500 g / 1 lb fresh wide rice noodles
- 10 small prawns/shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1 Chinese sausage / Lup Chong Sausage, sliced thinly on the diagonal
- 5 cm / 2″ piece of fried fish cake, sliced thinly
- 20 stems garlic chives, cut into 4 pieces
- 2 1/2 cups bean sprouts
- 2 eggs, whisked
Oils
- 2 tbsp lard (or vegetable oil as alternative)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (divided)
Sauces
- 5 tsp dark soy sauce
- 4 tsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 4 tsp kecap manis / sweet soy sauce
Others
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the Sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and kecap manis to create the flavorful stir-fry sauce that will season the noodles perfectly.
- Cook Prawns and Aromatics: Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of lard in a large wok or skillet over high heat until hot. Add the finely chopped garlic and stir-fry briefly until fragrant. Next, add the prawns and cook until they turn pink and are just cooked through, approximately 2 minutes.
- Add Sausage and Fish Cake: Add the sliced Chinese sausage and fish cake to the wok. Stir-fry together with the prawns and garlic for another 1-2 minutes, allowing the sausage to release its aromatic oils and the fish cake to warm through.
- Stir-fry Noodles and Vegetables: Add the fresh wide rice noodles to the wok, breaking up any clumps. Pour over the prepared sauce mixture and toss well to coat the noodles evenly. Push the noodles to one side of the wok, pour in the whisked eggs, and quickly scramble them until just set. Stir the eggs through the noodles. Then add the garlic chives and bean sprouts, tossing everything together over high heat for another 1-2 minutes until all ingredients are cooked but still retain their crunch.
Notes
- Use fresh rice noodles for best texture; if using dried, soak and drain thoroughly before cooking.
- Lard imparts authentic flavor but vegetable oil can be used as a substitute for a lighter dish.
- Chinese sausage (Lup Chong) adds a sweet, savory dimension; available in Asian grocery stores.
- Fried fish cake is optional but adds texture; other fish balls or similar can be substituted.
- Garlic chives provide a unique aroma and subtle onion flavor, essential to traditional Char Kway Teow.
- Kecap manis is a sweet Indonesian soy sauce and is key to the characteristic sweet-savory balance in the dish.
- Cook over high heat quickly to achieve ‘wok hei’ or ‘breath of the wok’ for authentic taste.
