Penang-style char kway teow
I tried the char kway teow at Joo Hooi Cafe, a coffee shop next to the Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendol stall.
The char kway teow was disappointingly bland despite the duck egg and the soft yet springy, thin, flat kway teow. Penang char kway teow uses the thin kway teow similar to what is used in Ipoh hor fun.
You have to make a special request if you want the duck egg. These days, duck egg is a prized "extra" ingredient.
You won't find duck eggs readily available in Singapore even though they are not banned here.
A spokesman for the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore said it has never received any application from duck layer farms.
But there's no point crying over duck eggs that cannot be obtained.
For this recipe, I suggest using extra-large eggs as substitute. I added an extra yolk to re-create that duck egg yolkiness.
Skip the extra egg yolk and use shallot oil instead of pork lard for a healthier version.
INGREDIENTS
- 500g thin flat rice noodles (Ipoh hor fun)
- 150g blood cockles
- 6 prawns, deshelled
- 2 eggs and 1 yolk, beaten
- 1 Chinese sausage, sliced
- 30g bean sprouts
- 20g koo chye (garlic chives), cut into 5cm lengths
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3 tbsp lard oil or shallot oil
- 1 tsp chilli paste
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
Optional garnish
- Pork lard cubes
METHOD
1. Heat the lard oil in a wok. Over medium heat, fry the chopped garlic. Add the sliced onion.
2. Add the prawns. (A)
3. Add the chilli paste and sausage.
4. Turn up the heat to high and add the beansprouts and the noodles.
5. Push the noodles to the side of the wok and add the eggs. (B)
6. Allow the eggs to cook slightly, then scramble and mix with the noodles.
7. Season with the fish sauce and light soy sauce.
8. Throw in the koo chye and stir-fry briefly.
9. Add the blood cockles and turn off the heat. Gently stir-fry the mixture to distribute the blood cockles and let them cook from the residual heat. (C)
10. Garnish with pork lard cubes (optional).
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