Singapore Fried Flat Rice Noodles (Char Kway Teow)
炒粿条 Char kway teowSay it: char kway TYOH
Char kway teow is Singapore's smoky wok-fried noodle dish: wide flat rice noodles seared over fierce heat with dark soy, sweet soy, garlic, sliced Chinese sausage, blood cockles and egg, then tossed with crisp bean sprouts and Chinese chives. Sold at hawker centres across the island, it is fried to order in small batches so every plate picks up a little char. The taste is savoury, gently sweet and deeply caramelised, with briny cockles and a hit of chilli. Rich with lard, it is pure hawker comfort.
Singapore Fried Flat Rice Noodles (Char Kway Teow)
炒粿条, Char kway teow
Pronounced char kway TYOH
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, soy, fish, shellfish, egg. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Sauce
Stir-fry
Method
Stir the dark soy, sweet soy, light soy and white pepper together in a small bowl. If using dried noodles, soak them in warm water for 20 minutes until pliable but still firm, then drain well and pat dry; if using fresh noodles, separate the strands with your fingers.
Have everything chopped and within arm's reach, and set 4 warmed plates nearby. Heat a wok or large heavy frying pan over the highest heat until it just begins to smoke, then add 2 teaspoons of the lard and swirl it around.
Add a quarter of the garlic, sausage and preserved radish and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until the sausage turns glossy and the garlic smells sweet but has not browned.
Tip in a quarter of the noodles and drizzle over a quarter of the sauce. Toss constantly for 1-2 minutes, spreading the noodles across the wok, until they darken to a deep brown and a few edges catch and char.
Push the noodles to one side, crack one egg into the clear space and scramble it for about 20 seconds until just set, then fold it through the noodles.
Add a quarter of the cockles, bean sprouts and chives with a pinch of the salt and the chilli paste if using. Toss over the heat for 45-60 seconds, until the cockles are just firm and the sprouts are hot but still crisp.
Slide onto a warmed plate and repeat three more times with the remaining ingredients, adding a little more lard to the wok between batches. Serve immediately, while the char is still fresh.
Regional variant: Penang Fried Flat Noodles (Char Koay Teow)
Leave out the sweet soy sauce and season with only light and dark soy, so the plate is savoury rather than sweet. Use prawns and cockles plus a duck egg if you can get one, increase the chilli paste to 1 tbsp, and fry each portion even harder and drier in lard so the noodles are smoky and barely glossy, with the chives added right at the end.
Cook's notes
- Fry one portion at a time: overcrowding the wok steams the noodles instead of charring them, and that char is where the smoky flavour comes from.
- The noodles should feel dry to the touch before they hit the wok; if they are wet from soaking, spread them on a tray and pat them dry or they will stew.
- No cockles to be found? Small clams, prawns or squid all work well; keep them in the wok only until just firm so they stay tender.
Serve with
Sambal chilli on the side, sliced green chilli in soy, and a glass of iced lime juice or kopi.
Make ahead and storage
Chop the aromatics, slice the sausage and mix the sauce up to a day ahead and refrigerate; the noodles themselves must be fried to order and are best eaten straight away.
