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FriendsPantry

Malaysian · Singaporean

Char kway teow

Non-vegetarian

炒粿条 · chhá-kóe-tiâu

Flat rice noodles fried in a blazing wok with prawns, egg, bean sprouts and chives in dark soy and chilli paste — the smoky hawker classic of Penang and Singapore.

Char kway teow is a Malaysian noodle dish, ready in about 35 minutes and made with rice noodles, prawns / shrimp and bean sprouts. It serves 2 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Char kway teow
Photo: Elizetang / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain
Prep
25 min
Cook
10 min
Total
35 min
Serves
2
Level
Intermediate
Calories
886

Ingredients

2 servings

For the chilli paste

For the sauce

For frying

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blend the drained chillies and garlic (opens in a new tab) with the oil to a paste, then fry it gently for 2 minutes until fragrant. Mix the soy sauce (opens in a new tab), sweet soy and fish sauce (opens in a new tab).

  2. Step 2

    Soak the noodles until pliable but firm, then drain well.

    • 15 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat the lard (opens in a new tab) in a wok (opens in a new tab) over the highest heat until smoking. Fry the garlic (opens in a new tab) for a few seconds, then the Chinese sausage (opens in a new tab) if using, then the prawns (opens in a new tab), fish cake (opens in a new tab) (and cockles) until the prawns are just pink.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Add the noodles, the sauce and 1–2 teaspoons of chilli paste. Toss and let the noodles sit briefly against the wok (opens in a new tab) to char.

    • 3 min
    • high heat

  5. Step 5

    Push the noodles aside, crack in the eggs (opens in a new tab), let them set slightly, then toss through. Add the bean sprouts (opens in a new tab) and chives (opens in a new tab) and toss for 30 seconds. Serve at once.

    • 2 min
    • high heat
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin disputedA Teochew Chinese hawker dish strongly associated with both Penang (Malaysia) and Singapore.Also popular in Malaysia, Singapore
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Noodles · Main courses · Street food
Cooking method
Stir-fried
Taste
smoky, savoury, spicy (chilli heat), sweet & savoury
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Beef-free · High-protein
Without the optional extras: Alcohol-freeWith the listed swaps: Pescatarian, Pork-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · One-pan
Cook more with
Rice noodles · Prawns / shrimp · Bean sprouts · Dried whole chillies · Garlic · Soy sauce
Techniques
Stir-frying

Allergens

  • Contains: Eggsfrom fish cake (eomuk / fish cake slices), egg
  • Contains: Fishfrom fish sauce, fish cake (eomuk / fish cake slices)
  • Contains: Crustaceansfrom fish sauce, prawns / shrimp
  • Contains, can be adapted: Molluscsfrom clams
  • Contains: Wheatfrom soy sauce, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), chinese sausage (lap cheong), fish cake (eomuk / fish cake slices)
  • Contains: Glutenfrom soy sauce, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), chinese sausage (lap cheong), fish cake (eomuk / fish cake slices)
  • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), chinese sausage (lap cheong), fish cake (eomuk / fish cake slices)
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom chinese sausage (lap cheong)

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

886 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 431 g · recipe makes 2

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 18%
  • Carbohydrate 54%
  • Fat 28%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy886 kcal206 kcal
Protein39.6 g9.2 g
Carbohydrate119.2 g27.7 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars7.2 g1.7 g
Fibre——
Fat27 g6.3 g
Saturated fat7.6 g1.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol360 mg83 mg
Sodium1592 mg370 mg
Salt equivalent4 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
793 mg
Calcium
170 mg
Iron
4.4 mg
Magnesium
105 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
—
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
—
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: chinese sausage (lap cheong), fish cake (eomuk / fish cake slices), clams.
  • Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce): Hoisin sauce (FDC 172886) used as a stand-in for this thick palm-sugar-sweetened soy sauce; sugar and sodium differ by brand.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Cook one or two portions at a time to keep the wok smoking hot.
  • Slices of Chinese sweet sausage (lap cheong) are a classic addition — fry them with the garlic.

Common mistakes

  • Over-stirring breaks up the noodles.

Serve with

  • Serve on a banana leaf with extra chilli paste and a squeeze of lime.

Food safety

  • Cook prawns and cockles until opaque; cockles eaten barely cooked carry a risk for vulnerable people, so cook them through.
  • Cooked rice noodles should be eaten straight away or refrigerated within 1 hour.

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately.

Variations

  • Singapore-style (Singapore): Sweeter, with more dark soy, and often with fish cake and Chinese sausage.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Rice noodles, dried flat rice noodles, soaked until pliable250 g
Used in step 2

Reviews & corrections

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