CHAR KWAY TEOW
This popular local dish has origins in Guangdong in China, where it was a simple meal with noodles and ingredients fried together to fill the working man's belly. Good Singapore char kway teow has a distinct wok hei or breath of the wok, as giant flames hiss and flare as they meet tossed flat rice noodles, egg noodles, lard oil, garlic, egg, Chinese sausage, beansprouts, caramelised soy sauce, light soy sauce, chilli sauce, and broth. It is topped with fresh cockles and plated. The whole process takes minutes, and the control of the flame is key to the cook's expertise.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- 1 Wok or large frying pan Have all the ingredients ready and easily grabbable beside your wok
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp lard oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 handful flat rice noodles (kway teow)
- 1 handful egg noodles (mee)
- 1 handful beansprous
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 tbsp cockles shelled
- 1 Chinese sausage steamed and thinly sliced
- 1 fishcake sliced
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark, sweet soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chilli sauce optional
Instructions
- Heat a wok until smoking hot over high heat. Add lard oil and fry garlic till fragrant. Add noodles and sautee with light soy sauce for a couple of minutes. Drop in the Chinese sausage and fishcake.
- Lower heat if it gets too hot. Keep the noodles moving and infusing with all the ingredients. Make a well in centre and mix in the eggs.
- Add a dash of stock or water for steam. Add dark soy sauce, chilli sauce and beansprouts.
- Finally add the cockles. Sautee all for a few more seconds. Dish out and serve immediately.