When there’s abundant street stalls/hawkers and weekly evening markets offering arrays of delicious street foods, why bother making it at home?
Right?
Well, it makes a difference if you live a few thousand miles away from home and there’s zero access to Malaysian street foods. Le sigh.
But thanks to importers, I’m able to source out the main ingredients from my local Asian supermarket and I hope you’d get to do so too.
Its so exhilarating to be able to source ingredients that you’ve never came across before.
I’m sure many can relate to the qualms of trying to make a recipe you’ve practically grew up on and not able to find the ingredients while living abroad, to emulate it in your kitchen?
And once you’ve found it in your local Asian supermarket, all you want to do is sing praises to the Lord?
Yeah, that’s me! Just don’t run up and down the aisle from all of the excitement 😀
Makes 3 servings
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lbs flat rice noodles (fresh/dried)
- 1/2 lbs shrimps (18 to 20 count), peeled and deveined
- 3 large garlic, finely minced
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 large handful of fresh bean sprouts
- 1 large handful of chinese chives, chopped
Sauce:
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp kecap manis or dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp sambal oelek or fresh chili paste
- 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Directions:
- Prep all ingredients before heating up the wok. In a bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside. Prepare noodles according to package instructions. If you are using dried noodles, after draining it, stir 1 tbsp of cooking oil to avoid noodle lumps.
- Heat up wok on high and once it begins smoking, reduce heat to medium high and swirl in 2 tbsp cooking oil. Add shrimps and stir-fry for 2 minutes only. Remove shrimp on a clean plate.
- Crank up the wok to high heat again, once it smokes, reduce to medium-high and swirl in 1 more tbsp of cooking oil. Add freshly minced garlic and stir fry until fragrant. Avoid burning the garlic. It’ll not taste good 😉
- Throw in cooked flat rice noodles and sauce. Crank up the heat to high and stir-fry for a minute. Reduce heat to medium-high, push the noodles to the sides of wok and add 2 eggs. Stir fry eggs a little before combining it with noodles.
- Crank up the wok to high again and throw in the shrimps, bean sprouts and chinese chives. Stir fry for one more minute and remove from heat.
- Serve char kuey teow hot from the wok, immediately, garnished with sliced fresh red chilies.
Traditionally, char kuey teow has a long list of ingredients such as fish cakes, cockles, Chinese sausage and cooked in pork fat etc. Not a fan of these ingredients, so I omitted it. Feel free to add or omit ingredients to your taste.
Though char kuey teow resembles pad thai, it definitely tastes different — dare I say more delicious 😀
What’s your favorite stir-fry recipe? Have you tried char kuey teow before?
Comments on this entry are closed.
A mouthwatering dish! Noodle stir-fries are always so enjoyable and your just looks marvelous.
Cheers,
Rosa
Rosa — thanks so much, my dear friend 🙂
I love the idea of streetfood you can make at home! This sounds really tasty.
Kathryn recently posted..roasted pear and hazelnut brown butter scones
Kathryn — thank you! love it when i can control the amount of oily ingredients that goes into typical street foods 😉
The ingredients you omitted are not necessary–I like your simplified version. Such beautiful images, too. I have all the ingredients in my pantry–can’t wait to try this. 🙂
Jean (Lemons & Anchovies) recently posted..French Onion Soup
Jean — thank you so much, friend. I agree about the omitted ingredients, and I hope you get to make this soon. Do let me know how it tastes 😀
i have not had any Malaysian food before but all the ingredients here are my absolute favorite 🙂 Im so glad you found those ingredients
dixya| food, pleasure, and health recently posted..Shahjahani Khichdi | Gluten-Free & Vegan
Dixya — haha, thanks! and you ought to try it sometime. it’s so delicious 😀
SO READY TO TRY THIS KIRAN!!!
Ricky recently posted..Second Harvest Food Bank’s Guest Chef Night – Fight Against Hunger
Ricky — oh yes!!!
I love the spices in Malaysian food. Yours looks delicious.
My mum makes a mean mee goreng, I’m never ever to duplicate that,craving for it now.
Ash — thank you and now that you mentioned, i’m having a huge craving for mee goreng. Wow 😀
This looks insanely delicious – and easy to prepare! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Monica recently posted..Homemade bread at last
Monica — awww, thanks so much for the wonderful encouragements 🙂
I have never tried char kuey teow before but Kiran, I will be so willing to taste yours 😉
Gah – am done looking at your pictures…am gonna go wipe the drool off my chin now…
Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com recently posted..Quinoa & Chocolate Chunk Pancakes!
Shashi — haha! wish I could teleport some over to you. this noodles are definitely special. if made correctly, it should impart a smoky deliciousness from using a very old and well seasoned wok!
I love rice noddles…your dish looks delicious Kiran…I would love to have this today.
Have a great week 😀
Juliana recently posted..Chicken with Broccoli and Bell Peppers
Juliana — thanks so much, my sweet friend! I hope you get to try this recipe soon 😀
I definitely want to try this dish, your pictures have my belly rumbling! Looks amazing!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl recently posted..Creamy Beef Stroganoff
Pamela — haha! thanks so much and I hope you’ll let me know how it tastes 🙂
My wife just looked over my shoulder and said “What is that? Can we make that?” so I guess we have dinner plans now.
Chris Caldwell @ World Cup of Food recently posted..Russian Cuisine — Бефстроганов, Beef Stroganoff
Chris — awww, thanks so much and I hope you guys enjoyed it. let me know how it tastes 🙂
never had any malaysian foods – except the malaysian parathas – not sure how authentic those are. Not a sea food eater, but those pics make me crave some saucy noodles!
Archana @ FeedingThefoodie recently posted..Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Archana — those parathas aren’t authentic Malaysian. you can definitely make this with any other meat or leave it as vegetarian too 🙂
What a treat, I love stir-fry meals!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) recently posted..toasted oatmeal-pecan cookies
Laura — thank you!!!
I should be able to find all the ingredients in Soho, London. And I look forward to it since I’d love to experiment with Malaysian food. Please, more recipes from your home country! Recipes like this one bring up something more than the flavours of your land…
Daniela @ FoodrecipesHQ recently posted..Quick Vegetarian Poutine Fries
Daniela — awww, thanks love. as long as i can source out the ingredients here, i’ll try my level best to feature more Malaysian recipes. do let me know how it tastes, if and whenever you’ve tried this recipe 🙂
When we lived in Germany, I missed Mexican food. There was a “Mexican” restaurant, but it wasn’t really Mexican. Any hoo, I love all kinds of stir fries, and this does not look to disappoint!
Kari@Loaves n Dishes recently posted..COCONUT MACAROON BROWNIES
Kari — i can imagine. it’s never easy living abroad, not having access to favorite foods.
We are pretty lucky here in Los Angeles as we have great Asian markets. Great Latin markets. Great Russian markets. Great Armenian markets… GREG
sippitysup recently posted..Steakhouse Wedge Salad with Blackened Flatiron ‘Croutons’
Greg — aaaahh, how lucky! always loved LA, which is a huge melting pot of cultures and ethnicity’s 🙂
we eat shrimp at least once a week! We love it and can’t get enough of it. I love your take on this dish using the shrimp. I can just taste how delicious it is by looking at your amazing pictures
Kitchen Belleicious recently posted..Cajun Creole PopOver Scramble
Jessica — thanks, my sweet friend 🙂
This is my favourite noodle dish ever but it’s so hard to get it jsut right! I love the char and sweetness of the sauce but also lots of lup cheong. Your version looks great!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella recently posted..Chilli Sardines & How To Fillet Fresh Sardines
Lorraine — it is so hard for me too! i think the key is to use a very hot, well used and seasoned wok! definitely missed on lup cheong here. couldn’t source it locally, so unbelievable 😀
Thankfully I can get all these ingredients at our regular supermarket 🙂
Tandy | Lavender and Lime recently posted..Sourdough Health Bread Recipe
Tandy — oh yes! do let me know how it tastes, if and when you make it! 🙂
Yum! That looks incredibly delicious and bursting with awesome flavors. I am not easily sold out to noodles (sounds weird but I am not a big fan of noodles) but this dish is beckoning me 😀
easyfoodsmith recently posted..HOME-MADE POMEGRANATE SYRUP
Taruna — thank you so much! i’m glad this dish has beckoned you to be a little more excited about noodles 😉
When I traveled to Taiwan, I couldn’t get enough of street food! My Mom always nagged about not eating them because it wasn’t sanitary. Ha! But it was divine! This looks wonderfully delicious Kiran! And it sounds easy to prepare too. YUM! 🙂
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker recently posted..Lemon Mascarpone Coffee Cake
Anne — ha! mom’s are always so overprotective 😉
When I find that crazy ingredient at the Asian supermarket, I get totally excited too! The good thing is, I actually have all of these ingredients on hand!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious recently posted..Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Chung-Ah — oh yes! hope you get to make this soon 🙂
This dish looks absolutely delicious! Such a flavorful combination.
cquek recently posted..Candy Crush – to get as many lives as I want
Cquek — thank you so much, friend 🙂
I concur, more delicious! I can have this any day and missy, look forward to seeing you soon in Singapore too ! 😛
jehanne@thecookingdoctor recently posted..Lamb Shorba
Jehanne — thank you! not too sure about Singapore, just yet 🙂
Love char kuey teow! I love mine with lots of bean sprouts and chives!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Amaranth Soya Protein Biscotti (Gluten Free and Grain Free)
Angie — yes, me too!!
My husband made mee goreng once from our Ottolenghi cookbook. That was my one and only taste of a Malaysian dish. Thanks for this share. It looks so delicious!
Margarita — thank you! didn’t know Ottolenghi featured a Malaysian mee goreng recipe in his cookbook. Need to check that out 🙂
Kiran – this looks mouth watering delicious! My hubby would love this…and it could easily be made gluten free too…thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Ina gawne recently posted..CREAMY ITALIAN POLENTA
Ina — awww, thanks sweetie and I hope you get to enjoy the GF version soon!
I have never heard of this dish, but it looks as appetising as all the Malaysian dishes I have ever seen. I am also very grateful for all the Asian grocery shops we have in my city (I only sometimes wish the employees spoke any European language 😉 ). Although I don’t find everything, they are surprisingly well stocked and frankly I discover better Asian cuisines at home than in restaurants which, to be polite, are here far from perfect.
Sissi recently posted..Spanakopita (Greek Spinach and Feta Pie)
Sissi — I’m jealous 😉
We do not usually have this problem when it comes to ingredients from our past hometowns, but it does happen if you want to go out for a real down American South meal, and you can’t find that in Los Angeles. 🙂 As for ingredients, we are lucky to have specific Asian (and Middle Eastern, Eastern European and Latin/Hispanic) markets in various parts of town, so if you need it, you can most likely find it!
The Duo Dishes recently posted..Adrienne’s Test Kitchen
TDD — ha! i’m so jealous 😀
The noodles looks very appealing. I had tried few Singaporean noodle dishes during a trip to singapore and they were so awesome that I still remember the taste even 12-13yrs later. Thanks for sharing the recipe and reminding me of those dishes!!!
Shibi Thomas @FlavzCorner recently posted..Chipotle Chicken Pizza
Shibi — you are so welcome 🙂
I love noodle stir fries, sos thing about the charred noodle I think. These look fabulous and quite easy to throw together. I have all the sauce ingredients in my cupboard right now, just need the shrimp and noodles! Delicious recipe Kiran.
Nazneen
Coffee and Crumpets recently posted..Harissa | A Most Versatile Hot Sauce
Nazneen — thank you and I hope you get to try this soon 🙂
I totally love this recipe and your styling, especially that last image 🙂
Sam — thanks a lot, sweet friend 🙂
I love that you teach me about so many new recipes I’ve never heard of before! You also make me want to travel to Malaysia! In the meantime I’ll have to get my fix of Malaysian street food from home 🙂
Davida @ The Healthy Maven recently posted..Dear Body…
Davida — awww, thanks love! you need to visit Malaysia, it’s so rich in heritage, culture and the street foods are to die-for 😀
Yes it does taste more delicious and is one of my most favourite foods in the world
My Kitchen Stories recently posted..And Finally Malaysia
Tania — thank you so much 🙂
Noodles are my favourite I can’t get enough of them 😀
This looks absolutely delicious!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Choc Chip Uru recently posted..Class of 2013
Uru — thank you! 🙂
Am not a sea food person, but I want this!
simi recently posted..Orange spice cake with candied oranges
Simi — we don’t eat too much seafood too, but this is a huge exception 😀
New dish to me! And one I should try – looks totally delish. And there are several good Asian markets (including one that’s just huge) less than 2 miles from me. I’m lucky!
john@kitchenriffs recently posted..Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies
John — you are so lucky and i’m equally jealous 😉
I LOOOOVE kecap manis. I need to see if I can find it around here. This looks delicious!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies recently posted..Oh My Veggies Reader Survey: The Results!
Kiersten — yay! i hope you get to try this soon, even with dark soy sauce it’ll still taste awesome 🙂
yummmmmmmmm….these noodles rock….lip smacking flavors 🙂
Kumar’s Kitchen recently posted..Delicious Pyaaz Paratha : Soft Onion Flat-breads
Kumar — haha, thanks! 😀
Terrific stir-fry, Kiran! I know what you mean about that excitement when you’re able to source *just* the right ingredients…
Viviane Bauquet Farre – Food and Style recently posted..Lemon-ricotta cheesecake with fresh figs and lavender syrup
Viviane — thanks!
Sometimes I crave Malaysian street food, lucky for me we have a vendor of Malaysian food at our local farmer’s market-where I always buy something to eat !!!! Your stir fry looks amazing-would love to see this on the menu…..I guess I could track down the ingredients and make my own!
Patty recently posted..Lemon Verbena Shortbread and a few thoughts on the #ifbc2013
Patty — aaahh…. you are so lucky and I’m glad you are able to sample some Malaysian street foods 🙂
I never tried this special recipe before but it looks mighty tasty & pretty too! Yummmm! I can’t wait to make it too! ☺
Beautiful appetizing pictures too, dear Kiran!
Sophie33 recently posted..Sophie’s Vegan & Gluten-Free granola! A tasty Food gift!
Sophie — thanks so much sweetie 🙂
Love Malaysian food and street foods are always the best. Stunning photos as always.
Lail | With A Spin recently posted..Grilled Fruit Salad with Rosemary Infused Honey Syrup
Lail — i cannot agree more, thanks friend 🙂
omgomgomg. CKT is my favorite!going to try this ASAP – i can never get the sauce tasting just right!
xx
gemma
Gemma @andgeesaid recently posted..Lake Como Photo Diary. Part I.
Gemma — oh yeah! hope you enjoyed it. let me know how it tastes 🙂
I have barely any idea about Malaysian cuisnie but noodles & shrimp combo is one of my favorite home alone lunches. I m totally making this. Last shot is really beautifully styled!
Tanvi@SinfullySpicy recently posted..Dum Aloo – Slow Cooked Spiced Potatoes
Tanvi — thank you so much and do let me know how it tastes 🙂
I so love this and always make them at home, I cant get the taste right though as I was looking for that blood cockles taste that authentic Malaysian style ones have in the ingredients list.
Raymund recently posted..Cazuela de Vaca
Raymund — thanks friend. i don’t like blood cockles but i can definitely understand what you meant in regards to the authentic flavors. I think owning a well seasoned wok and high temperature stir-fry is crucial to achieve that charry taste of char kway teow 🙂
This was by far one of my MOST favorite posts of yours. Loved the photos and the food!
Nik@ABrownTable recently posted..lentil and pumpkin shami kebab
Nik — oh, thank you so so much! guess i need to feature more Malaysian recipes 🙂
You are such an amazing food artist Kiran! Gorgeous photography and food styling. This was my favourite dish when my parents took me to Kuala Lumpur as a child (well, this and char siew bao, yum!). I loved the ritual of buying food off the streets from busy vendors with steaming woks. I’ve never attempted it at home but I share the same frustration as you in terms of ‘street food’ here in Australia. It’s pretty much non existent, and when it is, it’s expensive. I might just try your recipe. Looks divine! xx
laurasmess recently posted..Berry Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Wild Thyme Honey
Laura — awww, thank you so much my friend 🙂 I hope you get to emulate the street food experience at home, soon!
I love Char Kuey Teow and haven’t had it in a while since we moved to a smaller town. Yours looks so incredibly tasty!:) I love that you left out those other ingredients as I usually pick those out too and yours sounds perfect just the way it is! Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe Kiran, I think I need to try making it at home one day too 🙂
Kelly — thank you so much and I hope you get to recreate this recipe at home, soon 🙂
I really want to go to Malaysia and eat the street foods, and this is a must try noodles! Looks amazing…love how you made knots with the chives!
Nami | Just One Cookbook recently posted..Green Tea Donuts 抹茶ドーナツ
Nami — thank you so much, dear. i hope you get to visit Malaysia some day 🙂
This is also an excellent “introductory” recipe for people who maybe aren’t familiar with the more exotic ingredients like fish cakes and lap cheong, or simply can’t get them. Looks delicious!
Andi Houston recently posted..Fall Garden & Seeds
Andi — ditto and thank you so much 🙂
I love kuey teow! I only visited Malaysia once as a kid with my family, but grew up eating this in N.Y. restaurants. I tried and blogged a version from Saveur a while back and was happy with it. I’d personally add the fish cakes, though. 😉 Feeling hungry looking at yours.
Shirley recently posted..Chocolate-Filled Walnut Cookies
Shirley — thanks! i don’t get all the ingredients here in Orlando, including fish cakes. but i can understand how important it is in this recipe 🙂
This looks amazing.. nNever tried this dish before…
Mr. & Mrs. P recently posted..How to Photograph Your Dog (7 Tips!)
This is great article
Thank you for the recipe
I will try to cook