Penang Char Hor Fun Recipe (炒河粉)

May 29th, 2007Recipes, Malaysian Recipes, Penang Food, Recipes63 Comments

Recipe: Penang Char Hor Fun (炒河粉)

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients:

1/2 pack hor fun or flat rice noodles (32 oz pack)
1/2 pack vermicelli (14 oz pack)
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon kecap manis

Toppings:

12 shrimp (peeled and deveined)
12 thin pieces of pork meat
12 bay scallops
12 thin pieces of fish cake
1/2 can chicken broth (14 oz can)
5 stalks chinese mustard green/choy sum (cut into 2-inch length)
1 1/4 cup water
3 cloves garlic (minced)

Starch:

2 tablespoons corn flour
1/4 cup water

Seasoning:

2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 dashes white pepper powder
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the vermicelli in warm water for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain the water and set aside.
Break the flat rice noodles off by peeling the layers. Set aside.
Heat up a wok and add 1 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil. Toss in the vermicelli and do a quick stir. Add 1/2 tablespoon of soy souce and 1/2 tablespoon of kecap manis and continue to stir the vermicelli until the soy sauce and kecap manis are well blended with the vermicelli. Continue to stir until the vermicelli are lightly burned or charred. Dish up and set aside.
Repeat the same for the flat rice noodles. Dish up and set aside.
Add some oil in a wok and stir-fry the minced garlic until fragrant.
Add in the pork, shrimp, bay scallops, fish cake and do a quick stir.
Add the chicken broth and 1 1/4 cup of water immediately.
Add in all the seasoning and bring it to boil.
Add in the starch mixture to thicken the gravy.
Add in the mustard green, do a quick stir and turn off the heat.
On a plate, place the fried vermicelli and flat rice noodles equally.
Pour the gravy and toppings on the noodles and vermicelli. Serve hot.

Pages: 1 2

Tagged as: Noodles • Pork • Shrimp

Click Below for More Easy and Delicious Recipes:

SHARE THE RECIPE & PHOTOS:

Get New Updates by Email:

63 comments... read them below or add one

Sheyna says:
January 20, 2012 at 10:38 AM
Hi…

Thanks for the recipe. I am looking forward to trying it. Out of curiosity however, how come you use kecap manis and fish sauce? Both don’t seem like ingredients that Penang hawker users would use…

Thanks!

Sheyna

57
Reply
- Rasa Malaysia says:
  January 20, 2012 at 4:05 PM
  I use keycap manis because the type of dark soy sauce available in Malaysia can’t be found in the United States. A bit of fish sauce adds to the flavor and yes, some hawkers in Penang use fish sauce as their secret ingredient!
  
  58
  Reply
  - Sheyna says:
    January 25, 2012 at 11:01 AM
    Ah! I see now… :). Thanks for the info.
    
    59
    Reply
Teong ONG says:
June 12, 2012 at 10:51 PM
I find it unusual to serve Sar Hor Fun with sambal belacan in Penang. It is traditionally Cantonese and served with green pickled chillies and soya sauce.

60
Reply
- Rasa Malaysia says:
  June 13, 2012 at 8:05 AM
  You are right Char ho fun is served with pickled green chilies but as a personal preference I would also ask for Sambal belacan from the vendor for an extra kick!
  
  61
  Reply
Nandu Nayar says:
October 9, 2012 at 10:01 AM
That dish was one of my favorites growing up in Kedah/Penang. Now that I am in USA for the last 30 years, I miss it very much, which is why I visit Nyonya (Little Italy in NYC) restaurant. In any case, I have a question for you…. How come there is no egg in the sauce recipe? I was under the impression that eggs were used in the sauce. Please clarify.
Thanks.

62
Reply
Davidoon says:
April 26, 2013 at 6:26 PM
Oh yes, a dish I miss most from my early years in Penang and Sungai Petani. Haha and you are so right about the myth, that’s what I cooked although with crispy noodle instead of flat noodle, to win my ex-girl friend’s (now my dear wife) heart when we were 18. So long ago… Now want to share this with my 3 boys…

63
Reply