Smoky Home-Wok Char Kway Teow with Prawns and Chinese Sausage

⏱ 35 min · Serves 2

All the charred, savoury-sweet magic of a Penang hawker stall, tuned for a home stove: fat rice noodles seared in pork fat, sweet lap cheong, snappy prawns, ribbons of egg and a fistful of crunchy beansprouts. Cook it in two batches and you'll get proper wok hei without steaming the noodles.

Per serving: 1010 kcal · 42.0g protein · 98.0g carbs · 50.0g fat

Ingredients

• 400g fresh flat rice noodles (kway teow / ho fun), at room temperature
• 150g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
• 2 Chinese sausages (lap cheong), thinly sliced on the angle
• 2 tbsp lard or vegetable oil, plus 1 tbsp extra
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 150g beansprouts
• 4 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
• 1 small handful garlic chives (optional), cut into 4cm lengths
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp kecap manis or 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1-2 tsp sambal oelek or chilli paste (optional)
• Lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Gently separate the rice noodles with your fingers so no clumps remain; if fridge-cold, microwave 30-40 seconds to loosen. Mix the dark soy, light soy, oyster sauce, kecap manis, fish sauce and white pepper in a small bowl.
2. Get everything within arm's reach of the stove - this cooks in under 5 minutes per batch.
3. Heat a wok or large heavy frying pan over the highest heat until faintly smoking. Add 1 tbsp lard, then the lap cheong slices; fry 1 minute until the fat renders and the edges crisp. Add half the garlic and half the prawns, stir-fry 1 minute until the prawns just turn pink. Scoop everything onto a plate.
4. Add another 1/2 tbsp fat to the wok. Pour in half the beaten egg, let it set for 15 seconds, then push in half the noodles and press them into the egg. Leave undisturbed 45 seconds to catch some colour.
5. Drizzle over half the sauce mixture and half the sambal, then toss with a spatula, scraping the base, for 1 minute until the noodles are glossy and streaked dark.
6. Return the cooked sausage and prawns, add half the beansprouts, spring onions and garlic chives, and toss 30-45 seconds - the sprouts should stay squeaky. Tip onto a warm plate.
7. Wipe the wok, reheat hard and repeat with the remaining ingredients for the second serving. Serve immediately with lime wedges and extra sambal.