Penang Char Kway Teow (2024)

Penang, Malaysia has been recognized over and over again for being among the top cities in the world for street food. Basically, it’s heaven for a food blogger like me. I’m so lucky to call this place my home.These articles will give you a glimpse of the foodie life here:

Forbes – The World’s Top 10 Cities for Street Food

Lonely Planet picks Penang as top spot for foodies in 2014

Penang endorsed as world’s best food destination by renowned food writer

Ask any Penangite what dishes you MUST trywhen you visit and Char Kway Teow (or Char Koay Teow) will always be on theirlist. You’ll find many versions of Char Kway Teow in various regions inSoutheast Asia but many people from all over Asia travel to Penang just to indulge ina plate of “the real deal”.

Besides fresh ingredients, two critical elements for a good plate of Char Kway Teow are:

1) very high heat, and

2) a well-seasoned wok, which gives the dish what we call “wok hei” (the “breath” of the wok) – unique flavors imparted on to the food through this process.

Ihope that you’ll give this dish a try to get a taste of Penang.

Tools:

If you don’t already have one, you’ll need a good quality wok. Preferably cast iron or carbon steel. Non-stick will not work well as it cannot withstand super high temperatures. Here are a couple of good options:

Don’t forget the wok spatula!

Seasoning the wok:

Before you use your wok for the very first time, it needs to be seasoned. I’ve prepared a detailed step-by-step guide on How to Season Your Wok.

Ok, we’re ready to cook now. Let’s take a look at the ingredients.
Ingredients:

From left to right:

1. Banana leaf (optional). Placing a small sheet of banana leaf on the serving plate will add a very nice subtle aroma to the dish. In the US, you can find banana leaf in most Asian markets; usually in the freezer. Just wipe it with a clean damp cloth.
2. Flat rice noodles. If you don’t have access to fresh noodles, you can use dried flat rice noodles (boil them in water for a few minutes until al-dente…cooked but firm to the bite, drain well, then drizzle cooking oil over the noodles to prevent them from sticking)
3. Fresh bean sprouts. When I was living in Oregon, I had much better luck finding really fresh bean sprouts at the Asian supermarkets as opposed to the general grocery store. Rinse well and drain.
4. Duck egg. You can also use chicken egg butif you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend using duck egg as it has a richer flavor and goes so well in this dish.
5. Chopped garlic.
6. Chinese chives (garlic chives), chopped to about 1 inch pieces.
7. Chinese sausage (lap cheong). Available at most Asian supermarkets. Sliced thinly.
8. Fresh red chili, thinly sliced/julienne (for garnish)
9. Chili paste. This is called chili boh here in Malaysia. It’s a combination of dried and fresh red chili, a bit of garlic and shallot. If you’d like to make it yourself, click here to watch a video by Nyonya Cooking. Otherwise, use a chili paste that you have access to in your area.
10. Large shrimp. Peeled and deveined, tail on.
11. Sauce: 2 tablespoonsLight Soy Sauce + 1/2 teaspoon of Dark Soy Sauce + 1/2 teaspoon of Oyster Sauce

Optional ingredients:

co*ckles: Blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then take them out of the shell. Toss them in to the wokwhen you add your bean sprouts and garlic chives.

Lard: Most street vendors use lard but you can also use cooking oil. If you would like to make your own lard, simply cut up pork fat into approximately half-inch cubes, put them in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Let it simmer until the pork fat bitsare brown and crispy.

Char Kway Teow step by step

Before you even turn on the heat, make sure that you have all of your ingredients within reach. The cooking process will be super quick so you need to be ready.

Heat up your wok over maximum heat. As soon as you start to see a little bit of smoke from the wok, pour 3 tablespoons of cooking oil or lard into your wok, immediately followed by minced garlic (3 – 4 cloves). Give it a quick stir.

As soon as the garlic starts to brown just slightly, toss in 4 – 5 large shrimp, a handful of sliced Chinese sausage and 1 tablespoon of chili boh/chili paste.

Stir with your spatula until the shrimp is cooked. This should only take about a minute. Any longer than that and you’ll overcook the shrimp. Remove the shrimp and Chinese sausage from the wok and set aside.

Add 1 and a 1/2cups ofkway teow noodles in to the wok, followed by the sauce (2 tablespoonsLight Soy Sauce + 1/2 a teaspoon of Dark Soy Sauce + 1/2 a teaspoon of Oyster Sauce). Stir well, ensuring that all of the noodles are covered in the sauce.

Push the noodles to the side of the wok, then crack the egg in the center of the wok. Let the egg cook for just about 10 – 20seconds, then stir it in to the noodles.

Add 1 cup ofbean sprouts, a small handful of garlic chives, the cooked shrimp and Chinese sausage.

Stir well to combine. It’s now ready to be served! Transfer to a serving plate lined with banana leaf, then garnish with thinly sliced red chili if you wish.

Note: This blog post contains affiliate links. By purchasing through those links, you are supporting me and my family (without any additional cost to you). Thank you in advance!