Char Kway Teow 炒粿條
By Michael · from our van kitchen
Char kway teow is a Malaysian stir-fried flat noodle dish, and this is my variation of it. I want to be upfront: I didn’t have all the ingredients for the real thing. No bean sprouts, no Chinese sausage, no fish cake, no cockles. But I had most of the flavours, and I had so much fun cooking on the wok the other day that I wanted to try a new dish.
We cooked it at Silver Lake Campground in Florida, right after a van life event called Peace, Love, and Vans. It was only the second time I’d cooked on the wok outside, after the beef chow fun. Watch me make it.
The shrimp heads and the shrimp paste
We used large Argentinian red shrimp that we bought at a Korean supermarket the other day. I kept the heads, because they add so much flavour. They go into the hot wok first, get crispy, and give the oil all their goodness before the rest goes in.
The other big flavour is shrimp paste. It’s very strong. I know whenever my mom uses shrimp paste, the whole outside of the house smells it. A little goes a long way.
I skipped the chilies and any spice because Spencer was eating it too.
What I’d do differently
The wok hei was incredible. You can really taste it. It was a little burnt in a few spots, because it’s so fast that you don’t have time to think. At the table the feedback was that it could use more flavour, so I’d add a little more soy sauce next time.
In hindsight, I’d take the shrimp heads out sooner. Leaving them in caused a bit of bitterness. The red Argentinian shrimp are also softer in general, so you don’t get that succulent bite you get from something like tiger shrimp. The fish balls were a nice touch, though. Next time I want to add the real ingredients: Chinese sausage, bean sprouts and those little clams.
Overall, not bad. Pretty on point for a campground version, and very shrimpy.
Ingredients
Seafood
- Large Argentinian red shrimp, heads kept
- Fish balls (the recipe calls for fish cake; I used fish balls)
Noodles
- Dried flat rice noodles, or fresh if you can find them
- Boiling water, for soaking
- A little oil
Aromatics and the rest
- Garlic
- Green onions
- Yellow chives
- 2 eggs
Sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Light soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- About 1 tsp sugar
- A pinch of white pepper
- Shrimp paste
- Cooking oil, for the wok
Steps
- If the shrimp are frozen, soak them in water for a few minutes to defrost. Defrost the fish balls too.
- Break the dried flat noodles in half and soak them in boiling water for about 15 to 20 minutes. A few hard pieces are fine; they finish cooking in the wok. Toss with a little oil so they don't stick.
- Take the heads off the shrimp and keep them. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on.
- Pat the shrimp dry, slice the fish balls and pat them dry too. Everything going into the wok should be as dry as possible, so you don't create steam.
- Mix the sauce in a bowl: dark soy, light soy, oyster sauce, about a teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of white pepper and the shrimp paste.
- Crack the two eggs into a small bowl. Lay everything out next to the wok before you start.
- Heat the wok, add oil, turn the heat up and add the shrimp heads. Let them get crispy for about 60 seconds, then take them out.
- Add the garlic for 10 to 15 seconds. Turn the heat down a little if it's too intense, and add a little more oil if you need it.
- Add the shrimp and cook them for about a minute, until they're just cooked. Don't overcook them.
- Add the noodles and the fish balls and cook for about a minute.
- Push everything to the side, add a little more oil and scramble in the eggs.
- Add the sauce and the rest of the greens, toss it all together, and plate it.
Amounts are what I said in the video. Where I didn't measure, it says "to taste". Cook it your way.
