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Char Kway Teow

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main courses•malaysian•contains pork, contains shellfish, contains eggs, contains gluten
25 minutes•2 servings•

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 12 ounces flat rice noodles (kway teow) – gently separated
  • 3 ounces blood cockles – rinsed
  • 3 tablespoons lard
  • 3 ounces Chinese sausage – thinly sliced
  • 6 ounces shrimp – peeled and deveined (~13.5 Large shrimps)
  • 2 cloves garlic – minced
  • 2 teaspoons chili paste
  • 2 egg
  • 2 cups bean sprouts – rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup garlic chives – cut into 2-inch lengths
  • 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
  • red bird's eye chili – thinly sliced (for serving)
  • lime – cut into wedges (for serving)
Char Kway Teow

Instructions

1. Stir together the sauce: in a small bowl combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, white sugar, ground white pepper, and water until dissolved. Set near the stove.

2. Loosen the flat rice noodles so strands separate without tearing; keep covered to prevent drying.

3. Prepare the cockles: bring a small pot of water to a boil, add the rinsed cockles, blanch just until shells start to open, 10–20 seconds, then drain, shuck, and set the meats aside.

4. Heat a carbon-steel wok over high heat until lightly smoking, 2–3 minutes. Add 1.5 tablespoons lard and swirl to coat.

5. Add half the Chinese sausage; stir-fry until edges render and aromatic, 20–30 seconds.

6. Add half the shrimp; sear until just pink at the edges, 45–60 seconds.

7. Add half the garlic and 1 teaspoon chili paste; stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds.

8. Add half the noodles and drizzle in half the sauce; toss briskly to coat and char in spots, 45–60 seconds, keeping the wok very hot.

9. Push noodles to one side. Crack 1 egg into the empty side and scramble until just set, 10–15 seconds, then fold through the noodles.

10. Add half the bean sprouts, half the garlic chives, and half the cockles. Splash in 1.5 teaspoons Shaoxing wine around the wok edge; toss 20–30 seconds until sprouts are just wilted and cockles are warmed through. Transfer to a plate.

11. Wipe the wok if needed and repeat steps 4–10 with the remaining lard, sausage, shrimp, garlic, chili paste, noodles, sauce, egg, bean sprouts, chives, cockles, and Shaoxing wine.

12. Serve immediately with sliced red chili and lime wedges on the side.

Char Kway Teow is a smoky, savory-sweet wok-fried noodle dish built on wide, silky rice noodles tossed with prawns, Chinese sausage, cockles, eggs, crisp bean sprouts, and garlic chives. High heat delivers wok hei, the elusive charred aroma that gives the noodles a lightly caramelized edge while keeping the sprouts fresh and snappy. Lard enriches the dish with a glossy finish and depth, while a duo of soy sauces and oyster sauce provide a balanced, umami-forward seasoning.

Originating on the streets of Penang and along Malaysia’s northwest coast, Char Kway Teow reflects Teochew and Hokkien Chinese influences adapted to local tastes. The name translates to “stir-fried rice cake strips,” referencing the broad rice noodles central to the dish. Traditionally cooked to order by hawkers over roaring charcoal flames, it became famous for its use of cockles and pork lard, with regional vendors and home cooks continually shaping subtle differences in heat, sweetness, and toppings.