Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About
    • About Me
    • Tiny Urban Kitchen’s Favorite Equipment
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Asian
      • Chinese
      • Taiwanese
      • Thai
      • Malaysian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
    • Appetizers
    • Soups
    • Salad
    • Pasta
    • Noodles
    • Rice
    • Vegetarian
    • Meat
    • Sweets
      • Baking
      • Ice cream
      • Cookies
    • Misc
    • Kawaii (Cute)
  • Travel / Restaurants
    • United States
      • Boston
        • Jen’s Picks
        • Boston
          • Allston
          • Back Bay
          • Brighton
          • North End
          • South End
        • Cambridge
          • Kendall Square
          • Inman Square
          • Central Square
          • Harvard Square
          • Porter Square
          • North Cambridge
        • Somerville
          • Davis Square
          • Union Square
        • Greater Boston
          • Brookline
          • Arlington
          • Belmont
          • Watertown
          • Newton
          • Lexington
          • Concord
          • Burlington
          • Natick
        • Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Berkshires
      • Vermont
      • Maine
      • New York
      • Washington DC
      • Philadelphia
      • Orlando
      • Chicago
      • Las Vegas
      • California
        • Los Angeles
        • San Francisco
        • Napa
        • Sonoma
      • Seattle
      • Hawaii
    • Canada
      • Montreal
      • Canadian Rockies
      • Toronto
    • Argentina
    • Europe
      • United Kingdom
        • London
        • Oxford
      • Italy
        • Rome
        • Piedmont
      • France
        • Paris
        • Bordeaux
      • Spain
        • Madrid
        • Barcelona
        • Catalonia / San Sebastian / Girona
      • Germany
      • Belgium
        • Brussels
      • Switzerland
      • Greece
      • Finland
      • Norway
      • Denmark
    • Japan
      • Japan Guide
      • Tokyo
      • Osaka
      • Kyoto
    • China (Mainland)
      • Beijing
      • Chengdu
      • Shanghai
      • Shaanxi
      • Shenzhen
      • Xiamen
      • Yunnan
    • Singapore
    • Hong Kong
    • Malaysia
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Australia/New Zealand
  • Michelin
    • Formerly had a star
    • Michelin Recommended
    • 1 Star
    • 2 Stars
    • 3 Stars
  • Jen’s Eating Guides!
    • Boston Restaurants
    • Boston Dishes
    • Tokyo
    • Hong Kong
    • Las Vegas
    • Napa / Sonoma
    • Taiwan (night markets)
    • Taiwanese (casual eats)
    • Street Foods of Bangkok (Part I)
    • Street Foods of Bangkok (Part II)
    • Kitchen Equipment
  • Trip Reports
    • All trip reports
    • New England
    • New York
    • Washington DC
    • Las Vegas
    • California
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Florida
    • Japan
    • China

Char Kway Teow (Chinese Stir Fry Rice Noodles)

March 2, 2011 by Jennifer Che 62 Comments


Welcome to Day 3, the final day, of our three part Malaysian Food Series! Check out Day 1, Hainanese Chicken Rice and Day 2, Spicy Water Spinach (Kangkung Belacan).

Char Kway Teow, which stands for “stir fried rice flat noodles” is a very popular street food in Malaysia.  It consists of these flat rice noodles stir fried in a very hot work with prawns, cockles, greens, bean sprouts, and eggs with dark soy sauce and spices!

Historically, fishermen and farmers would sell this savory, flavorful dish at night in hawker stands to supplement their daytime incomes. Traditionally, you stir fry the dish in pork fat, which makes it quite a rich dish (though I’m sure it’s really really good!)

These days, most people have switched to using vegetable oil. Many versions include a fried egg as well, which adds back some of the flavor lost from the lard.

If you have all your ingredients ready to go for this dish, it actually doesn’t take too long to cook. The frying step has to be quick and done in a really hot wok! You want there to be a char with the noodles – that’s what makes this dish stand out!

I ended up buying sheets of rice noodles because I could not find pre-cut ones. I was able to find mine in Boston’s Chinatown at Sun Sun Market, though you can probably find it in a lot of places. Cut noodles into 1/2 inch strips.

The rest is pretty easy. If you are experienced with the recipe and all your ingredients are ready to go, you should be able to cook this up reasonably quickly. In our case, since it was our first time and we didn’t really know what we were doing, we took a little longer than normal.

We eventually felt like we had to take the shrimp out otherwise they would overcook. So, if you want to be safe, you can take the shrimp out too after you think they are done. Overcooked shrimp is rubbery, hard, and, frankly, can ruin the dish.

This dish is really like a normal stir fry, so it’s not too hard. It’s important to have a really hot wok or skillet (cast iron would be great!). In our case, I think our wok was not quite not enough, and thus we didn’t get as much char as we would have liked.

The flavors were all there though, and my Singaporean friend blessed and approved the recipe. 🙂

Giveaway!


 Flavors of Malaysia: A Journey Through Time, Tastes, and Traditions
This Malaysian series was inspired by a free review copy I got of Flavors of Malaysia by Susheela Raghavan. You can read a more detailed account of my thoughts regarding the book here. The publisher has been kind enough to provide me with THREE books to give away! I will be giving one away per day during this series – one for each dish I cook from the book!

The other two Giveaways are at the Hainanese Chicken Rice post (ends Wednesday, March 2, 2011!) and the Spicy Water Spinach (Kangkung Belacan) post (ends Thursday, March 3, 2011!).
For this giveaway, comment below and tell me your favorite Asian noodle dish! 
Man, this is too hard for me. I love glass noodles (like Korean Chap Chae) and rice noodles (like Char Kway Teow or Thai Drunken/Crazy Noodles). Finally, I LOVE glutinous rice cakes (like Chao Nian Gao 炒年糕) and, of course, hand-pulled noodles!

Giveaway ends Friday, March 4, 2011 at midnight! I reserve the right to pick another winner if I pick the same winner twice during this three-part giveaway series.

Char Kway Tweo
from Flavors of Malaysia: A Journey Through Time, Tastes, and Traditions 

Ingredients
2-3 T cooking oil
1 T crusehd garlic cloves
8 oz (about 1 cup) shelled and deveined shrimp or thinly sliced chicken
2 T double black, thick, or sweet soy sauce
2 T regular soy sauce
1 tsp finely pounded white peppercorns, or 1/2 tsp finely ground white pepper
1/2 to 3/4 tsp white granulated sugar (use less if using thick or sweet soy sauce)
6 to 8 ounces Chinese flowering cabbage (choy sum) or Chinese cabbage (bok choy), or Chinese Mustard Greens (gai choy), stalks and leaves separated and washed to remove dirt
14 ounces fresh, flat rice noodles, already cut or cut into 1/2 -inch wide strips, rinsed in water
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups (4 1/2 ounces) bean sprouts, rinsed or blanched
Spice Paste
6 whole dried red chilies, steeped in hot water for 5-8 minutes and then deseeded; or 1 to 1 1/2 T of cili boh or 1/2 to 3/4 T bottled sambal oelek
Optional: 1 1/2 to 2 tsp dried shrimp paste (belacan) toasted at 400 ° F for 15 minutes; or whole dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 5-8 minutes until soft, then drained
1/4 cup water
*for pictures of sambal oelek and belacan, check out the water spinach post
Garnish
1/3 cup sliced Chinese chives or spring onions
1 or 2 fresh red chilies, sliced 
1. Process Spice Paste ingredients to a smooth paste and set aside
2. Heat 1 T oil in a wok or skillet and saute garlic for about 1/2 to 1 minute, till light brown and fragrant. Add Spice Paste and remaining oil and saute for about 4 to 5 minutes, till fragrant (adding more oil if necessary)
3. Add shrimp or chicken and stir-fry for about 3 minutes for shrimp or 6 minutes for chicken, till cooked.
4. Stir in soy sauces, white, sugar, and Chinese cabbage stalks, and stir for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add noodles and coat well with sauce for about 2 minute. Add Chinese cabbage leaves, cover, and cook for about 1 minute, till greens start to wilt.
5. Uncover, push noodles towards edge of skillet/wok, add a little oil in center, add beaten egg and let set 1 to 2 minutes, then lightly scramble the egg till cooked and blend with noodles so egg coats noodles.
6. Toss in the bean sprouts, blend well and stir fro another minute or two. (Don’t overcook, as noodles will get mushy if cooked too long)
7. Garnish with Chinese chives and chilies and serve hot
Enjoy!
Disclaimer
Time to time I receive free products, meals, etc. as a food blogger. I do not receive any payment for blog posts/reviews nor am I required to write a post when I receive free products, meals, etc. The views expressed in this post are completely my own. I was given a free review copy of the book.
©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Asian, Malaysian, Noodles, Recipe

« Spicy Water Spinach (Kangkung Belacan) + Giveaway!
Serendipity 3 »

Recent Posts

  • Fin de Siecle Brussels February 23, 2021
  • Happy Lunar New Year – a Different Celebration During an Unusual Year February 12, 2021
  • The Araki Hong Kong February 1, 2021
  • L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Hong Kong January 18, 2021
  • Nostalgic Reminders of Home: Five Guys Hong Kong January 6, 2021
  • Elementary Hong Kong January 5, 2021
  • Happy New Year 2021! A Look Back at 2020 January 1, 2021
  • Restaurant Le George Paris December 29, 2020

Latest Chinese recipes!

Comments

  1. JoyceLYH says

    March 2, 2011 at 4:33 am

    Char Kway Teow isn’t Char Kway Teow without cockles! And my dad would add that it isn’t authentic without the lard. If you’re ever in Singapore, try the fried kway teow at Chomp Chomp (Serangoon Gardens).

    Reply
  2. Beata says

    March 2, 2011 at 4:56 am

    So many asian noodle dishes to choose from… I don’t know if I can pick just one :-). High on the list, though, is Vietnamese bun/vermicelli (with grilled meat, veggies, and fish sauce). Also ramen.

    Reply
  3. Jenny @ I'm a full-time mummy says

    March 2, 2011 at 5:01 am

    I love the plain and simple fish ball noodle soup!

    Reply
  4. We Ate This! says

    March 2, 2011 at 5:33 am

    Hi… found my way here via google search for Hainanese chicken recipe. Since I’m already here, I’m thrilled to take part in your giveaway contest. My favourite noodle dishes are char kway teow, pad thai and batchoy (Filipino noodle soup).

    Reply
  5. Peggy Labor says

    March 2, 2011 at 7:01 am

    This sounds amazing! I’d have to say that I’m sticking with my Filipino roots and saying that my favorite noodle dish is Pancit!

    Reply
  6. Mayumi says

    March 2, 2011 at 7:24 am

    My favorite Asian noodle dish is Japanese Ramen Noodle, especially Shoyu Ramen!! To me, it’s a huge reflection of Japanese culture and one of the dishes that I miss most living in Boston.

    Reply
  7. La Chapstick Fanatique says

    March 2, 2011 at 9:01 am

    shrimp pad thai! i actually posted a recipe on my blog last week!

    http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com

    Reply
  8. Yin says

    March 2, 2011 at 9:55 am

    My favorite noodle dish is made by my grandma. She combines leftover rice with mei fun and adds whatever we have at hand. It is so good!

    Reply
  9. Edibleobsessions says

    March 2, 2011 at 10:07 am

    Thai Drunken noodles. A group of us reviewed all of the Thai restaurants in Portland, ME and that was the one dish I had at all of them. Needless to say, I haven’t had Thai in a while because of that.

    Reply
  10. UmamiBreath says

    March 2, 2011 at 10:17 am

    Seared Black Bean Chicken on Crispy Noodles-YUMBO!!!!!

    Reply
  11. Wallis says

    March 2, 2011 at 10:18 am

    I think my favorite has got to be fresh egg noodles with shrimp wontons and char siu pork!

    Reply
  12. alison says

    March 2, 2011 at 10:33 am

    Definitely pho ga!

    Reply
  13. Heatherjoy says

    March 2, 2011 at 10:37 am

    Our family’s fav. Asian noodle dish is Taiwan beef noodle soup. We have at least once a week, especially in this New England weather! Kids got excited looking at the red oil on top of the soup, which came from chilli pepper and tomatoes — sooo good. We love oodles of noodles. I WANT this book to expand my cooking horizon!! Thank you!

    Reply
  14. Alvina says

    March 2, 2011 at 11:05 am

    It would have to be pho. I could eat it everyday. Next would be chow-fun… with anything. :] Though preferably with a nice sauce.

    Reply
  15. ASK says

    March 2, 2011 at 11:06 am

    Vietnamese noodles (Pho) with egg, tofu and tomatos. Hands down the Pho broth is a win for me anytime.

    Reply
  16. Farrah Taipei says

    March 2, 2011 at 11:10 am

    My favorite Asian noodle dish is the Taiwanese stir fried rice noodle!

    Reply
  17. Kerstin says

    March 2, 2011 at 11:25 am

    I love pho and Vietnamese rice noodle salads. Saigon In-and-Out in Santa Barbara has a delicious one with pork and egg roll. I’ll also cast a vote for Ramen in the cellophane packet. I like the chile flavor and jazz it up with shrimp, a lot of green onions, and a bit of balsamic vinegar to make it a fake hot and sour.

    Reply
  18. Sadye says

    March 2, 2011 at 11:28 am

    I love any kind of stir fry flat noodle

    Reply
  19. Cavitybuster says

    March 2, 2011 at 12:46 pm

    i like any flat rice noodles w/spicy sauce

    Reply
  20. tubalion says

    March 2, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    LAKSAAAA

    Reply
  21. Brian @ A Thought For Food says

    March 2, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    My husband always goes crazy over rice noodles. I think I’m going to have to try my hand at making them for him. Lovely post!

    Reply
  22. Cyril says

    March 2, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    I love beef pho 😀

    Reply
  23. Eileen T says

    March 2, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    My favorite Asian noodle dish is Taiwanese intestine vermicelli in the thick brown soup. Do you know the dish I am talking about? I could never get enough of it!!

    Reply
  24. Eleanor Hoh says

    March 2, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    Char Kway Teow is my all time favorite dish my mom makes everytime I visit her in Hong Kong! We grew up eating this. I would love a Malaysian cookbook so I can make more Malaysian dishes!

    Reply
  25. Lindsay @Eat, Knit, Grow says

    March 2, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    My favorite noodle dish is Pho!

    Reply
  26. Katerina says

    March 2, 2011 at 1:24 pm

    This looks brilliant and great photos, I would love to win!

    My favorite noodle dish is probably the Thai dish Pad Kee Mow. IT is usually spicy with beef and basil and wide flat rice noodles.

    Reply
  27. foongfest says

    March 2, 2011 at 2:58 pm

    This is great, I was just about to try making a batch this weekend.
    Mine favorite noodle dish has to be Malaysian style Fried Hokkien Noodles

    Reply
  28. Bernadine says

    March 2, 2011 at 3:12 pm

    Fish Ball Noodle Soup with the thin flat rice noodles (esp in Hong Kong).

    Reply
  29. Tamiya says

    March 2, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    Hong Kong style wonton noodle soup.

    Reply
  30. Joann says

    March 2, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    Lo mein! So boring!

    Reply
  31. Jennifer says

    March 2, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    drunken noodles

    Reply
  32. Ken Leung says

    March 2, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    My favorite noodle is perhaps the Singapore Mai Fun, though Pad Siew comes pretty darn close.

    Reply
  33. Patronella says

    March 2, 2011 at 5:19 pm

    Originally from Sarawak Malaysia, I have to say the Sarawak Laksa is one of my favourites.

    Reply
  34. Flo says

    March 2, 2011 at 5:22 pm

    Noodles… I love most noodles, especially the spicy ones. My mom makes dandan noodles and it is one of my favs.

    Reply
  35. Julia says

    March 2, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    i love beef chow fun. I know it’s quite generic but when it’s home-made it is DELICIOUS! and you can buy the rice paper sheets (that’s what my family calls them) at super 88! just look in the refrigerated section (this way you can avoid traffic/parking in chinatown).

    Reply
  36. Carsley says

    March 2, 2011 at 5:55 pm

    Those noodles look really cool to cook with (and eat!) Sorry about the wok malfunctions 🙁 I’m sure it was still really tasty!

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  37. kitchenmisfit says

    March 2, 2011 at 6:12 pm

    I love a traditional pad thai. Extra spicy!

    Reply
  38. Thomas says

    March 2, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    When talking about noodles, you can never leave out the classic Cantonese Hong Kong style beef chow fun (乾炒牛河), my favorite; along with Thai based Pad See-Ew (ผัดซีอิ๊ว) and Pad Thai (ผัดไทย), and Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho) with lettuce, lime, bean sprouts, and that yummy black sauce (it’s either hoisin or plum sauce?). 🙂

    Reply
  39. Fran says

    March 2, 2011 at 6:36 pm

    mee siam or mee goreng hands down mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    Reply
  40. Natalie says

    March 2, 2011 at 9:31 pm

    No question about it – Taiwanese beef noodle soup…hands down.

    Reply
  41. sukanya says

    March 2, 2011 at 10:43 pm

    These noodles are looking so tempting..
    My all time favourites are Singaporean flat noodles and Pad Thai.

    Reply
  42. R Cheng says

    March 2, 2011 at 11:33 pm

    My current noodle obsession would be Korean noodle salad with snails

    Reply
  43. Guswandi says

    March 3, 2011 at 4:19 am

    I like herbed duck vermicelli and beef kwetiau with thick broth. It can make your tummy warm afterwards. 🙂

    Reply
  44. m_star says

    March 3, 2011 at 4:34 am

    oh goodness. I love all sorts of noodles — e-fu noodles with braised mushrooms makes my mouth happy with it’s textures.

    But my longstanding go-to noodle dish is Gon Chow Ngau Ho – flat wide rice noodles stir fried with beef slices and soy. when there is the appropriate amount of wok hei…yum!

    Reply
  45. CC says

    March 3, 2011 at 8:15 am

    Noodle soup with fish ball.

    Reply
  46. cornelia says

    March 3, 2011 at 10:10 am

    chow fun noodle soup with wontons and roast duck! 😉

    Reply
  47. shirley says

    March 3, 2011 at 11:49 am

    Nah..still the shrimp noodle soup. Love the spicy and potent shrimp flavor with that egg noodle, it’s making me want to have one now.

    Reply
  48. dlyniboo says

    March 3, 2011 at 1:34 pm

    Pad see ew — I just can’t get enough of the delicious chewy noodles and crispy friend tofu.

    Reply
  49. Julia says

    March 3, 2011 at 5:51 pm

    khao soi. hands-down. love it. really, really love it. would go to chiang mai tonight to get some – if only the budget allowed! laksa and pho will have to fight it out for second place.

    Reply
  50. Phong says

    March 3, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    I absolutely love braised pork and eggs. The belly fat from the pork makes the dish top-notch!

    Reply
  51. ittybittyfoodies says

    March 3, 2011 at 7:29 pm

    Oooh Laksa Laksa Laksa

    Reply
  52. Kelly Cook says

    March 3, 2011 at 7:54 pm

    I couldn’t choose! I love Khao Soi, but then I also love Nonya Laksa (I guess they have their similarities). I have even gone so far as to pickle my own cabbage for Khao Soi but it will never be the same as the bowl from my fave noodle spot in Chiang Mai or from Nong Bia in Pai!

    Reply
  53. momgateway says

    March 3, 2011 at 7:56 pm

    Pancit palabok from a tiny restaurant in LA

    Reply
  54. scrapper al says

    March 4, 2011 at 12:50 am

    My favorite noodle dish is ja jiang mien (or za zhang mian or zha zhang mien or some other butchered spelling, lol). I’m pretty sure you know what I mean though.

    Reply
  55. Marian Elbert says

    March 4, 2011 at 1:37 am

    My absolute favorite noodle dish is pancit bihon. It’s a filipino dish that I loved while growing up. I consider it ‘my’ comfort food. I’ve recently gotten into making more Asian-inspired dishes as I MISS my mother’s cooking. I have a very diverse background (filipino/chinese/german/irish and lived in japan for 10 years)…. So I’ve had my fair share of noodle dishes, and you know what… NOTHING beats a heaping plate of pancit!

    Reply
  56. Dianna says

    March 4, 2011 at 9:51 am

    Char Kway Teow is my favorite noodle dish! It is hard to find a restaurant here that makes a good Char Kway Teow but I finally found one. I just found a wok at the local Good Will and am planning on trying your recipe. It looks yummy! Hopefully, I will be able to get the wok hot enough to create a good umami taste!!

    Reply
  57. angi says

    March 5, 2011 at 4:21 am

    My heart will always belong to my childhood favorite, beef chow fun with gravy. That’s the dish I always always requested as a kid in Hong Kong and unsurprisingly, my ultimate comfort food.

    Reply
  58. enrolled agent course says

    March 6, 2011 at 7:46 pm

    This dish was featured at a food channel last night. And yes this Malaysian street food is so good, cheap and will leave you with full stomach.

    Reply
  59. Alex Baranosky says

    March 7, 2011 at 2:10 pm

    My favorite noodle dish is the thai dish with wide rice noodles, mustard greens and beef:)

    Reply
  60. Kimberli says

    March 7, 2011 at 5:28 pm

    I used to live down the block from a Malaysian restaurant and miss the food very much. I’ll have to look into this cookbook. Thanks!

    Reply
  61. IttyBittyFoodies says

    March 7, 2011 at 11:06 pm

    OK so who won? Is it me? *wink*

    Reply
  62. Gaye says

    January 29, 2013 at 12:39 am

    Growing up in KL and having left 51 years ago, I still dream of the Curry Laksa that I ate in a small busy restaurant in Peel Rd! Oh how I miss it still.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Archives

Categories

Awards

Saveur
PFB

BostonGlobe

Most Recent Posts

Fin de Siecle Brussels

Fin de Siecle Brussels

Happy Lunar New Year – a Different Celebration During an Unusual Year

The Araki Hong Kong

The Araki Hong Kong

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon Hong Kong

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Hong Kong

Five Guys Hong  Kong

Nostalgic Reminders of Home: Five Guys Hong Kong

Elementary HK

Elementary Hong Kong

Happy New Year 2021! A Look Back at 2020

Restaurant Le George Paris

Restaurant Le George Paris

Great Yakiniku and Fine Wine

Nice Yakiniku and Fine Wine Hong Kong

Merry Christmas 2020

France!

Yam'Tcha Paris
David Toutain Paris
Divellec Paris
Breizh Cafe Paris
Clamato Paris

Kawaii! (Cute)

Norway!

Food Advertising by logo

Chinese Recipes

Okra with Chicken
Food Advertising by logo

Shop & Support us!

Spain!

Girona Spain
Amelia San Sebastian

Japan!

Bulgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin
Sukiyaki Imafuku Tokyo
Sushi Ishimaya Tokyo
Disney Sea Tokyo
Tempura Fukamachi Tokyo
Shinjuku Gyoen

Cambridge restaurants

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress