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A metal wok with a serving of char kway teow and a wooden spoon resting inside.
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5 / 3 votes

Char Kway Teow

Char Kway Teow is a favorite Malaysian street food because it includes everyone's favorite flavors. Shrimp, fishcakes, cockles, Chinese sausage, and bean sprouts are served over rice noodles in a salty sweet sauce with a squeeze of lime. Perfect.
Prep Time25 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 856

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 ounces dried or 7 ounces (200 grams) fresh broad, flat rice noodles (also known as ribbon noodles, ho fun, or kway teow)
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 Chinese sausage (lap cheong), thinly sliced at an angle
  • 8 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 3/4 ounces ready-made fishcake, sliced into strips (you'll find this in the refrigerator or freezer aisle at Asian grocery stores or substitute more shrimp; this is NOT breaded fish sticks)
  • 1 3/4 ounces mung bean sprouts, topped and tailed
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, (the author recommends Pearl River Bridge Extra Virgin or Superior Light)
  • 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, (the author recommends Pearl River Bridge Superior Dark)
  • 2 teaspoons Indonesian sweet soy sauce, (known as kecap manis; the author recommends Healthy Boy) or 2 teaspoons light soy sauce mixed with 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chile sauce, (Sriracha is particularly good)
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 garlic chives or scallions, thinly sliced or cut into 1-inch lengths
  • 3 1/2 ounces shelled fresh cockles, (or substitute fresh shelled clams or, if you're feeling indulgent, lump crabmeat)
  • White pepper, to taste
US - Metric

Instructions

  • If using fresh noodles, carefully separate them (they should come apart in strands), then set them aside, lightly covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.
    If using dried noodles, prepare them according to the package directions or place them in a large heatproof bowl and add enough boiling water to cover. Let rest until bendable, 6 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water and drain again. (Depending on the type of rice noodle, you may need to repeat to get the noodles sufficiently bendy.)
  • You need to cook the char kway teow 1 portion at a time for the best results. Before you do anything else, measure out all the ingredients in two portions and have them at the ready next to the stove because once you start this stir-fry, there's no time to stop and measure. Heat a wok on high heat until you can feel the waves of heat coming from it with the palm of your hand (this is known as "wok hei"). Add 2 tablespoons oil, half the garlic, and half the Chinese sausage and stir-fry constantly until the garlic is fragrant and the sausage is glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. You want to watch that garlic so you catch it before it scorches and imparts a bitter flavor to the entire dish.
  • With the heat still on high, add 4 shrimp and half the fish cake and stir-fry for another couple minutes until the shrimp turn pink. Turn the heat down to medium and push everything to the side of the wok, then add half the noodles and bean sprouts, half of each sauce, and 3 tablespoons water to the cleared space. Mix these new ingredients together, then stir-fry for 2 minutes in the cleared space.
  • Now push everything to the side of the wok again. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the cleared space and, when it’s hot, crack in an egg. Break up the egg with your spatula, then pull everything back into the center of the wok and combine well with the egg. If the mixture seems dry or is sticking to the wok, add 1 tablespoon oil.
  • Add half the chives or scallions and white pepper to taste and stir-fry to combine well. Lastly, add half the cockles or clams and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Turn the noodle concoction onto a plate and serve immediately with chopsticks. Repeat with the remaining ingredients for the other portion.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 856kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 352mg | Sodium: 2147mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g