Monday, June 23, 2008

Char Kway Teow at home

Char Kway Teow

Char Kway Teow is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore.For the uninitiated, it's a humble stirfry flat rice noodle dish one can find from the roadside hawker stall, to the posh 5-star restaurant that serve local food. There is a constant debate between the two neighboring countries on who makes the better Char Kway Teow. Maybe I exxagerate, there isn't a debate on the national level, but hey, at least such is the case in my household.

OCT prefers the Singaporean version naturally, made with a sweeter sauce. Will it surprise you that, I on the other hand, prefer the version I grown up with, which uses soy sauce and dark soy sauce? Both versions use lard, chinese sausage, mung beans, fish cakes, cockles, prawn and homemade chilli paste, rendering it the bad reputation as cholesterol bomb.

Char Kway Teow

Some weeks ago we spotted the fresh rice noodle at a local Asian grocery store. So we decided to try cooking Char Kway Teow at home. I will be lying if I tell you our version is as good as the one from Singapore/Malaysia. Lacking a powerful hot stove for quick fire stirfrying, it's impossible to replicate the same flavor. Our health conscious also prevented us from using lard or lots of oil in the cooking process.

char kway teow

The end result was a passable version of our beloved Char Kway Teow. Paired with the chilli sauce we brought back from Singapore, at least it satisfied our cravings for the time being. I am not attaching my recipe here because I simply didn't remember to note down the amount of different ingredients used! If anyone has a good recipe for Char Kway Teow, please share. :)

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just love this dish and your photos are wonderful!
Makes me wish to go back to Singapore immediately ;-))

roadster said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Stardust said...

Oops, sorry Mandy, I posted the earlier comment via my hubby's account, it's me and you may like to delete the earlier. DELICIOUS Char Kway Teow you have there! Drool...

Manggy said...

I think you should've still posted the recipe! It does look very good, and I feel better that you've substituted the lard ;)

Bakerella said...

I want a bowl right now! Looks so good.

Chibog in Chief said...

i've never been to singapore but this noodle dish of yours looks like one of the best reason i should go..i love all the photos!

Y said...

That looks so good. Reminds me that I haven't had kway teow in ages. I never bother to make it at home, because if you don't have a searingly hot wok, you don't get that wonderful char flavour, which is part of the point really, isn't it!

Rasa Malaysia said...

You made me want to cook my CKT. LOL. ;)

Deborah said...

I'm not very familiar with Malaysian/Singapore food, but this makes me want to explore it more!!

Sophie said...

WOW! What a hearty and delicious meal. So many ingredients. This looks like a powermeal! Beautiful presentation too. I'm always trying to look for meals that incorporate all of the food groups in one dish, glad I came across this one. :)

Nate @ House of Annie said...

We use a little portable butane stove to cook our CKT. It heats up the wok hotter than our regular electric stove.

CKT. must. have. lard. Veggie oil just isn't the same.

Anonymous said...

This looks sooo delicious! getting hungry!!!

Cakebrain said...

This dish looks so edible! I wish I had a good recipe I could rely on!

Kitchen Corner said...

This really make me hungry, it looks so delicous! No different from the one I eat in m'sia hawker center. You cooked very well!

Oh for the love of food! said...

Wow Mandy, that Char Kway Teow sure looks good! I've never attempted cooking my own even though it's one of my favorite hawker fare ( Penang version is THE Best!!) because I know I just won't get the same result with my stove,I totally agree with 'P'- and if I'm going to have it, it has to be the 'genuine article'- cooked with pork lard. I know it's not healthy but it should be ok if it's only consumed once in a way, right?

Mari said...

We need the recipe! ;-)

Btw...I have an award for you, so if you care to stop by, I'd be honored.

test it comm said...

That looks tasty!

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