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Craving an authentic Penang Char Kuey Teow? This easy step-by-step guide will help you nail that smoky stir-fry every time. With simple ingredients and a few pro tips, you’ll bring the bold flavors of Penang right to your kitchen!
What Is Char Kuey Teow
When it comes to Penang street food, a few dishes stand out: Asam Laksa, Penang Hokkien Mee, and of course, Char Kuey Teow. It’s tough to say which one’s the most popular, but when you’re in Penang, you won’t—and definitely don’t want to—miss these three iconic hawker dishes.
Char Koay Teow is a must-try Malaysian street food, made with flat rice noodles stir-fried with shrimp, bloody cockles, Chinese lap cheong (sausage), eggs, bean sprouts, and chives, all tossed together in a savory soy sauce mix. Be sure to check out my step-by-step video and tips below to make this dish perfect every time and get that smoky, mouthwatering flavor just right!
Elements Of The Best Char Kuey Teow
A perfect serving of this dish isn’t just about fresh ingredients—it’s the smoky, charred aroma that comes from stir-frying the noodles over high heat in a well-seasoned Chinese wok. That irresistible scent is what we call “wok hei” or the breath of the wok. If you’ve been to Penang and walked past a Char Koay Teow stall, you know exactly what I mean.
A great Char Kuey Teow calls you from blocks away; the mouthwatering aroma fills the air and pulls you in. Just thinking about it is enough to make my stomach rumble!
Penang Char Kuey Teow Reigns Supreme
While you can find this dish all over Malaysia, the Penang version truly reigns supreme. I’ve heard countless stories of tourists from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, and beyond making the pilgrimage to Penang just to enjoy this noodle dish.
Somehow, Char Kuey Teow (or “CKT” as it’s often called) outside of Penang never quite hits the mark—whether it’s the lack of wok hei, a too-dark color, or the wrong taste and texture. That’s exactly why Malaysians from other states make the trip to Penang—just for that perfect plate of Char Koay Teow.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Flat rice noodles
- Bean sprouts
- Blood cockles
- Chinese chives
- Chinese sausage
- Garlic
- Shrimp
- Egg
Ingredients For Chili Paste
- Dried red chilies
- Fresh red chilies
- Shallots
- Oil
- Salt
Ingredients For Sauce
- Soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Fish sauce
- Sugar
- Salt
- Ground white pepper
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full details on each ingredient.
How To Make Char Kuey Teow
Grab a mini food processor and grind all the chili paste ingredients until they’re nice and fine. Then, heat up a wok with about a teaspoon of oil and stir-fry the chili paste until it smells amazing. Once it’s all fragrant, just dish it out and set it aside.
Give the wok a good clean, then heat it up over high heat until it starts smoking. Once it’s hot, add about 2 tablespoons of oil or lard, then throw in half of the chopped garlic. Stir it fast to get that garlic nice and fragrant.
Toss in six prawns and half of the sausage slices into the wok. Give it a quick stir with your spatula until the prawns start changing color and you start smelling that delicious Chinese sausage aroma.
Now, throw in half of the bean sprouts into the wok.
Next, toss in about 8 oz. (230g) of the flat noodles, or half of what you’ve got.
Now, pour in 2 1/2 tablespoons of the sauce and stir it all up quickly. Crack an egg right on top of the noodles, then use your spatula to break the yolk and mix it in with the whites. Flip the noodles over to cover the egg, and just let it sit for about 15 seconds.
Add about 1/2 tablespoon of chili paste—feel free to add more if you’re craving extra spice—and toss in some cockle clams.
Keep stir-frying until the egg is fully cooked. Then, toss in the chives, give it a couple of quick stirs, and you’re done! Dish it out and serve right away—nothing beats it fresh!
Cooking Tips
Char Koay Teow is one the most requested recipes on Rasa Malaysia. I have readers who’ve been begging me to post my Char Koay Teow recipe since years ago.
Great things, especially a perfect recipe, is worth waiting for. Of course I’ve made Char Koay Teow many times, but I wanted to share the ultimate Char Kuey Teow recipe, and this is it.
So, what are my secrets?
- Get the freshest ingredients—fresh and crunchy bean sprouts, freshly-made noodles, big, fat, succulent shrimp/prawn, bloody cockles (I love my Char Koay Teow with them, without them, it’s not quite the same!), etc.
- Wonder why the prawn in Penang Char Koay Teow are always so succulent, juicy, and sweet? I believe some of the most famous stalls treat their prawn with sugar and ice water, or perhaps they are just very fresh.
- Use lard if you can. That’s the secret for the rich silky taste.
- Very hot wok.
- Control your timing of cooking and hence control your “wok hei.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you’re not into cockles or can’t find them, feel free to leave them out or swap them for extra shrimp or chicken.
It can be. The dish isn’t overly spicy on its own, but it does have chili paste in it. You can easily adjust the amount depending on how much heat you want—add more if you’re craving extra spice!
This dish is best when it’s fresh, but if you’ve got leftovers, pop them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 1-2 days. When you’re reheating, just add a little splash of water or oil to loosen up the noodles.
This recipe is only 639 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This dish is seriously scrumptious and I don’t see why it can’t be as popular and well-known as Pad Thai or Pad See Ew and the likes on the global stage.
For a complete Malaysian hawker food experience, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Char Kuey Teow
Ingredients
Chili Paste:
- 1 oz (30g) dried red chilies, seeded, soak in water
- 2 fresh red chilies, seeded
- 3 small shallots, or pearl onions, peeled and sliced
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 pinch salt
Sauce (mix and blend well):
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 dashes ground white pepper
Other Ingredients:
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 12 prawn, shelled , submerge in ice cold water plus 2 tablespoons sugar for 30 minutes
- 1 lb. (500g) fresh flat rice noodles, completely loosened and no clumps
- 1 lb. (500g) blood cockles, extract the cockles by opening its shell
- 2 Chinese sausages, sliced diagonally
- 1 bunch fresh bean sprouts, rinsed with cold water and drained
- 4 large eggs
- 1 bunch Chinese chives, removed about 1-inch of the bottom section and cut into 2-inch lengths
Instructions
- Grind all the ingredients for the chili paste using a mini food processor until fine. Heat a wok with 1 teaspoon of oil and stir-fry the chili paste until aromatic. Dish out and set aside.
- Clean the wok thoroughly and heat it over high flame until it starts to smoke. Add 2 tablespoons of oil or lard to the wok, then add half of the chopped garlic and stir quickly.
- Transfer six prawns and half of the sausage slices into the wok. Stir quickly with the spatula until the prawns start to change color and you smell the aroma of the Chinese sausage.
- Add half of the bean sprouts to the wok.
- Follow immediately with 8 oz. (230g) or half of the flat noodles.
- Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of the sauce to the wok and stir vigorously to combine. Crack an egg on top of the noodles. Use the spatula to break the egg yolk and stir to mix with the egg white. Flip the noodles to cover the egg and wait for about 15 seconds.
- Add about 1/2 tablespoon of chili paste (add more if you like it spicy) and some cockle clams to the wok.
- Continue stir-frying until the egg is cooked through. Add the chives, give a couple of quick stirs, then dish out and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Get the freshest ingredients—fresh and crunchy bean sprouts, freshly-made noodles, big, fat, succulent shrimp/prawn, bloody cockles (I love my Char Koay Teow with them, without them, it’s not quite the same!), etc.
- Wonder why the prawn in Penang Char Koay Teow are always so succulent, juicy, and sweet? I believe some of the most famous stalls treat their prawn with sugar and ice water, or perhaps they are just very fresh.
- Use lard if you can. That’s the secret for the rich silky taste.
- Very hot wok.
- Control your timing of cooking and hence control your “wok hei.”
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
where might one find a bloody cockle????? don’t think i’d make it,but i’d be willing to try it
You can find them at frozen section of Asian food stores but if you can’t find them, just skip.
Tried it today. Turned out great even without the cockles and Chinese sausage. Thank you.
Super recipes. Best have seen in years. I have tried many and none came out like your kueh teow. One thing. I Blanche prawns 1 minute. Ppraws. Should be cleaned using open hands full of salt and robbing prwns to remove slime and smell. I add a bit of hokkien noodle for colour. I add noodles after treatind them 3 times in hot n cold water. I also add sotong rings cook in hot water until water turns milky colour. (30-45) secs. Adding a bit of peanut powder is OK. Use Mani’s sauce is fine. Next time plz use metric measure s. Your recipes are my final recipes. Thank you for your excellent presentation.
Thanks Paul for trying my Char Kuey Teow recipe. Yeah I believe you won’t find another better recipe online than mine. ;)
Thanks so much for this great reminder! It’s very close to what my beloved grandma taught me – but we’ve just moved countries and I can’t find that recipe book! Our families addition is crispy bits of pork fat, as garnish> oh and i like to pre-cook the lap cheong and use as garnish too – we love all things cripsy ;) in our family!
Hi how much noddles for 4 adults?
Hi for the chinese sausages u used in char kuey teow do u hv to pre steamed it? I was told by mom to steam and peel the outer skin? (coz the outer skin is just fat that they used to stuff the meat). I guess it can be eaten. Many years ago, some used like plastic to wrap the meat for sausages. Hope u can share your advice
There is no need to steam or peel the skin. I just sliced them and then cooked them with the CKT.
Hello Bee
Would love to try out your recipe after sampling CKT in Penang last week. How many servings does your Char Kuey Teow recipe provide please?
thanks
Julie
A few people, depends on how many plate each person eats. ;)
Hi! I’ve had a this (or similar dish) at a local Malaysian restaurant, though it included strips of salt fish (with no sausage or clam/cockles)- was the salt fish an addition, or was that a completely different dish?
Char Kuey Teow doesn’t have salted fish. I can’t think of any noodle dish with salted fish, rice yes.
There is a Malaysian restaurant in Irvine, LA called Belacan. They have pretty good CKT.
They serve a salted fish bee noon (thin rice noodles) that is super authentic. I think it’s a Hokies
dish. The owners Ben and Bee are Hokkien. Lovely couple and lots of very authentic hawker
dishes.
Christine B
Belacan Grill is in Tustin, not Irvine. Their food is passable but I am cooking this recipe tonight. The process is exactly the same as the Char Kway Teow store on East Coast Rd. in Singapore 47 years ago. It costs 30cents a plate back then . I would gladly pay $5 now but the store has been gone for at least 30 years and I only visit Singapore twice a year.
This is the only way Char Kuey Teow should be done.
Just want to go back to Penang for this dish, missed the opportunity when I went there in 2005
This is a damn good recipe. I tried it with ur steps for serving 1. I made the 2nd batch a bit differently. I ‘tumised’ the sambal before the noodles. It tasted better, less ‘raw’ chilli taste. used duck egg. Tasted great thank you.
Hi Steven, yes good idea but in Penang the chili paste is always raw. You probably won’t find another better tasting CKT on the internet. ;)