Char Kway Teow (Penang Wok-Fried Flat Rice Noodles with Prawns)

Quick answer

Total time: 27 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Char kway teow originated in Penang as a meal for Chinese laborers who needed something filling and cheap, cooked fast over high heat with whatever was affordable.

Wide flat rice noodles go into a scorching wok with prawns, cockles, egg, bean sprouts, Chinese chives, and sliced lap cheong sausage. Dark soy sauce and oyster sauce stain the noodles a deep, smoky brown as they caramelize against the iron of the wok. The defining quality of the dish is wok hei, the charred, slightly acrid breath of the wok that comes only from cooking at extreme temperatures with the noodles thrown directly through open flame. Achieving wok hei requires both a wok that has reached its full temperature and enough physical space inside it for the noodles to make sustained contact with the hot surface rather than steaming in their own moisture. Traditionally cooked in pork lard, the rendered fat coats every noodle strand with a richness no vegetable oil can match. Penang hawker stalls cook one plate at a time because crowding the wok traps moisture and kills the sear. The result carries a charred, faintly bitter edge beneath the sweet-salty sauce that has made it one of the most recognized street foods in Southeast Asia.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

flat rice noodles300 gg

shrimp180 gg

egg2 eaea

bean sprouts120 gg

chives60 gg

dark soy sauce2 tbsptbsp

oyster sauce1 tbsptbsp

cooking oil2 tbsptbsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Heat

Soak 300 g flat rice noodles in 40 C water for 2 minutes.

Loosen stuck sections gently by hand, then drain well so excess water does not cool the wok and turn the stir-fry into steaming.
2

Step

Pat 180 g shrimp dry, and keep 120 g bean sprouts and 60 g chives within reach before heating.

Once the wok is hot, work continuously because pauses release moisture and soften the noodles.
3

Control

Heat the wok over high heat for 2 minutes until it smokes, then swirl in 2 tbsp cooking oil.

Add the shrimp and sear 30 seconds per side until pink with lightly charred edges.
4

Step

Crack 2 eggs at the side of the wok and scramble for only 15 seconds so large curds form.

Add the drained noodles and toss for 30 seconds, lifting with tongs to coat without breaking them.
5

Season

Drizzle 2 tbsp dark soy sauce and 1 tbsp oyster sauce evenly over the noodles.

Keep the heat high and toss in three 10-second bursts until the noodles turn glossy dark brown throughout.
6

Finish

Add the bean sprouts and chives and press them briefly against the hot wok for only 30 seconds.

Plate immediately when the sprouts are slightly translucent but crisp and the shrimp are opaque in the center.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Dry noodles and shrimp well so moisture does not cool the wok and cause steaming
Finish cue: Plate immediately when the sprouts are slightly translucent but crisp and the shrimp are opaque in the center.