Char kway teow

Char kway teow(sometimes also spelled aschar kuey teow,Chinese:炒粿條;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:chhá-kóe-tiâu) is astir-friedrice noodledish fromMaritime Southeast Asiaofsouthern Chineseorigin.InHokkienandTeochew,charmeans 'stir-fried' andkway teowrefers to flat rice noodles.It is made fromflat rice noodles(Chinese:河粉;pinyin:hé fěn;Cantonese Yale:hó fán) orkway teow(Chinese:粿條;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:kóe-tiâu;pinyin:guǒ tiáo;Cantonese Yale:gwó tìuh) of approximately 1 cm or about 0.5 cm in width, stir-fried over very high heat with garlic, light anddark soy sauce, chili paste, wholeprawns, shelledblood cockles, choppedChinese chives, slices ofChinese sausage, andbean sprouts.Other common ingredients includefishcakeandbelachan.
Originally developed and catered tooverseas-born Chineselabourersin theSoutheast Asia region, the dish has achieved widespread popularity within the region from the late 20th century onwards, particularly inMalaysiaandSingapore. The dish has also acquired a reputation of being unhealthy due to its highsaturated fatcontent, as it is traditionally stir-fried in pork fat with crisp croutons of porklard.
The dish was often sold byfishermen, farmers and cockle-gatherers who doubled aschar kway teowhawkers in the evening to supplement their income.The high fat content and low cost of the dish made it attractive to these people as it was a cheap source of energy andnutrients.
The term "char kway teow" is a transliteration of theChinese characters炒粿條 (in simplified Chinese 炒粿条). The dish's name isHokkien(chhá-kóe-tiâu), but the dish may have its roots inChaozhouin China'sGuangdongprovince and is mostly associated with theTeochew.The wordkóe-tiâu(literally meaning "ricecake strips") generally refers toflat rice noodles, which are the usual ingredient in Singapore and West Malaysia. There is no fixed way of spellingchhá-kóe-tiâu, and many variants can be found: examples include "char kueh teow", "char kuey teow", "char koay teow", "char kueh tiao", "char kuay tiaw", "char kueh tiaw" and so on.
The dish is sometimes calledkwetiau gorengorkuetiau gorenginMalay, which conveys the same meaning.In March 2021, Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka (DBP), Malaysia's authority on standardised Malay, formally declared that the proper spelling of flat rice noodles inMalaysian Malayiskuetiau.In Indonesia, the dish is generally calledkwetiau goreng, although some regions use the termmitiauinstead ofkwetiau. Conversely,kuetiauis rarely used in Singapore, withkway teowbeing used instead.
Owing to the dish's popularity and spread to Cantonese-speaking areas, the term "char kway teow" has beencorruptedinto "炒貴刁" (Cantonese Yale:cháau gwai dīu;pinyin:cháo guì diāo) when presented in the aforementioned areas. The term "貴刁" has no real meaning, but its pronunciation in Cantonese and Mandarin is similar to "粿條" inMin Nan.
"Gourmet" versions ofchar kway teow, in which the dish may be prepared with more seafood, with crab meatand with duck eggs, may be found in major Malaysian cities likeIpohandPenang.In Penang,char kway teowis commonly served on a piece ofbanana leafon a plate, which is intended to enhance the aroma of the dish.
Char kway teowis a popular, inexpensive dish usually eaten for breakfast and sold at food stalls in Singapore.Blood cockles and prawns are standard fare in typical hawker preparations, while more expensive or luxurious versions incorporate cuttlefish, squid, and lobster meat. Singaporean stylechar kway teowmixes yellow wheat noodles with flat rice noodles. Some cooks prepare more health-conscious versions with extra vegetables and less oil.
Char kway teowprepared by Muslims in Malaysia and Singapore excludes lard and pork products, and may incorporate alternative ingredients like beef or chicken.Some versions byMalay cooksmay emphasise the use ofkerang(Malayfor cockles) as a key ingredient, and it may be prepared with or without gravy.
Many Southeast Asian restaurants in Hong Kong offerchar kway teowas an overseas specialty, although it is of Southeast Asian Chinese origin. Thechar kway teowoffered in Chinese restaurants which serve Hong Kong-styleCantonese cuisineis an entirely different dish: stir-fried Chinese-style flat rice noodles with prawns,char siu, onions, and bean sprouts, seasoned with curry powder which renders it bright yellow in colour.In some places this is known asFried "Good Dale", a transliteration of the characters "炒貴刁".