How can something look so bad yet taste so good?
Those were Anthony Bourdain’s description when he tasted Char Kway Teow (CKT) in Singapore, as I remembered.
It might have been the Singapore episode of “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations”. I remember he said that, but I cannot find the clip on YouTube. Maybe it was just my imagination.
Anyway, if he did, it’s true. This is what it looks like:
CKT is a visual, delicious mess of a dish. In Singapore, it is a common and revered dish that is unique to us. There are numerous Instagram pages dedicated to just Char Kway Teow. Some stalls even achieved legendary status over the years.
Unlike Penang Char Kway Teow, which is equally tasty, the Singapore version is sweeter because of the kechap manis (meaning sweet sauce in Malay). It also has blood cockles.
Blood cockles is a species of ark clam. Found mostly in swamps, it is not a common food in Western cuisine. Because of the presence of haemoglobin, which helps the clams transport oxygen within its body due to its living in oxygen-poor habitats, the blood cockle appears to bleed when you open its shells.
It is bloody, and unless farmed properly, there is a high risk of cholera, hepatitis A and poisoning. This is because in CKT, it is usually eaten half-cooked or even raw. Blood cockles are banned in some countries like the US.
In Australia, the only other dish that may resemble CKT may be the Pad See Ew (Thai meaning Fried with Dark Soy Sauce) which, although delicious, tastes nothing like Singapore’s CKT.
About CKT
CKT originates from the Teochew people in the Chaoshan region in Guangdong, China. “Kway Teow” (粿條) literally means “strips of rice cake” and “Char” means “fried”. As the Chinese migrants moved into South East Asia, they brought along their culinary traditions, CKT, among other dishes.
In Singapore, CKT has evolved over the years into an iconic dish that stands on its own. It was another street food cooked and sold in push carts in the 50s and 60s that made its way into the Michelin Guide.
Traditionally, the ingredients were some of the cheapest that were available. Flat rice noodles, beans sprouts, Chinese sausage (lap cheong) and eggs. Cooked in generous amounts of lard, and topped with a heap of raw blood cockles for that unique taste of the sea.
I remember that this was one of several dishes that I grew up with in Singapore. Near the coffee shop of where we used to live in Toa Payoh, there was an elderly lady who sold CKT for 50c a packet in the 70s. We would bring an egg for her to add it to the dish while she cook it. Extra protein. The packet would be shared with 2 other younger siblings. It was always a treat for us.
The Science of “Wok Hei”
Commonly described by celebrity chefs as the “breath of the wok”, this is an important characteristic of CKT. “Wok hei” is essentially a flavour element which combines aroma and taste of a dish when cooked over very high heat in a seasoned wok.
This is almost impossible to achieve with home gas stoves. Most of these deliver between 5000 and 15,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units). 1 BTU is approximately the heat produced by a single matchstick. Commercial wok burners can deliver up to 100,000 BTUs.
Typically, you will need to bring the wok temperature above 200°C to achieve the elusive “wok hei”.
Traditionally, and even in some places in Southeast Asia today, CKY is cooked over a charcoal stove, made from a used oil barrel, which can deliver the same impressive heat as thousand-dollar, high-end commercial wok burners.
But what is “Wok Hei”?
In culinary terms, it is the Maillard reaction. The sugars and soy sauce from the Kway Teow react to the intense heat of the wok to develop the smoky flavour. Because of the intense heat, the cook can stir-fry rapidly, allowing the moisture to evaporate almost instantly. The risk of cooking CKT at home is that it becomes soggy because of excessive moisture while cooking.
The high heat also creates convection currents from the steam created when the moisture evaporates. This also contributes to the “wok hei” flavour.
And finally, because they use a well-seasoned wok, it has a layer of patina, which is polymerised oil and food particles built over time, which prevents sticking. That’s why Chinese chefs do not wash their woks with soap but just scrape off the residual food with a bamboo brush and rinse with hot water.
Can you achieve “Wok Hei” at home?
You can. There are techniques and modifications to the process that you can use to achieve “wok hei” with your home stove for CKT. Of course, you can also use it for other stir-fry dishes too.
Preheat. This means heating the (seasoned) wok, without oil, until it is smoking hot. If you have an infrared thermometer gun, use it to measure the temperature. We’re shooting for 200°C. The idea is to sear the food, especially the kway teow, immediately on contact, caramelising the starch from the noodles.
Keep the heat on high throughout the process. While CKT chefs in Singapore have to cool down their wok with water now and then, you won’t need to add water if you are using a home stove.
Use Lard. When the wok is ready, add cold lard or oil. For CKT, lard was used for its high smoke point. It was also traditionally the only oil available. Like Ghee and coconut oil, it was how people get their cooking oil. Now, you can use canola or peanut oil if you dislike lard, but the taste will be different. Do not use olive oil.
In Australia, you can get a stick of lard (like butter) in some supermarkets, or if you are friendly with your local butcher, ask them to prepare some for you. They usually just throw it away, but if you can get hold of 2-3 kilograms, you can prepare a batch for other dishes as well.
To prepare the lard, remove the lean meat and skin (crackling) and cut them into small cubes. Put them into a saucepan or pot over a slow fire. The heat will render the fat and create the magic ingredient: lardons. These are the crispy, tasty, sinful bits when you eat CKT in Singapore.
Cook small portions. It is important to not overcrowd the wok when cooking CKT, or any other dishes. Unless you are stewing, cook a single portion each time. You don’t need to toss them in the wok, but using a spatula, stir-fry the CKT rapidly to allow moisture to evaporate quickly and achieve maximum contact with the hot wok.
Do not add the ingredients too quickly since this will bring the temperature down. Take your time and let the heat build-up. While CKT cooks have to cook quickly, you don’t really have to.
The result is a smoky and fragrant aroma that is characteristic of good Chinese food. The taste is complex with a combination of sweet, savoury and umami flavours created by the caramelisation.
The CKY Recipe
These ingredients are for about 4 portions of CKT. 2 portions if you do it well.
1 kg of pork fat, cut into small cubes. (I trimmed these from a slab of pork belly and reserved the meat for other dishes. It is difficult to get just pork fat.)
300g kway teow (flat rice noodles)
200g fresh Hokkien noodles
500g of prawns. (I left out blood cockles because they are virtually impossible to find in Australia. I suppose you can use fresh oysters which could give that unique seafood flavour. There is a stall in Melbourne, Lulu Char Koay Teow, that has a version with blood cockles from Queensland, I think. We ordered it previously, and it was superb.) You can replace seafood with chicken or pork.
5-6 cloves of crushed garlic
8 free-range eggs (2 per serve)
2 lap cheong (Chinese sausage), thinly sliced
300g bean sprouts
50g Choy Sum, cut into inch-long sections (If you can find garlic chives, better, but these are usually only available in Asian grocery stores.)
4 tbsp fish sauce (you can replace with light soy sauce but it will taste different)
8 tbsp kecap manis (sweet dark soy sauce). I mix them together into a bowl (1:2) so that I do not need to measure it out as I cook.
Sambal Chilli, if you like with a bit of heat
How to cook CKT?
I am learning how to create videos for all recipes and will make them available here when ready. Meanwhile, I will describe the process for those cooking at home (outside Singapore). Why would you want to cook CKT at home in Singapore?
Everything will happen quickly, especially if the wok is hot. So, have the ingredients lined up and ready to go.
When done, the lardons will be brown and crispy. Drain and put aside. You can sprinkle some salt on them and eat as a snack if you like. Pour the rendered lard to a bowl and set aside.
Heat the wok until smoking. Add 2-3 tbsp of lard.
Add some garlic and stir-fry until fragrant.
Add a few prawns and fry until cooked. It shouldn’t be more than a minute.
Add the kway teow and Hokkien noodles and fry for a few minutes.
Add a few slices of lap cheong
Add sauce and cook for another minute, then push the noodles to one side of the wok.
Add another 2 tbsp of pork lard, then crack 2 eggs.
Scramble the eggs slightly, then mix well with the noodles in the wok.
Stir to combine and add the chilli sauce, kecap manis and mix well.
Add the bean sprouts and crispy pork lard, then stir to combine everything into a delicious mess.
If you find blood cockles, or would like to add fresh oysters, now is the time. You don’t want to cook them, but just heat them up as you serve.
Dish up and serve immediately.
Cornerstone of Singapore cuisine
CKT is an adaptation that evolved with ingredients available to the Chinese migrants that came to Southeast Asia. It was a popular and affordable dish for the many labourers because of its high starch and fat content.
Today, it is a cornerstone of Singapore hawker culture.
As celebrity chefs and high-end restaurants all over the world present their unique versions of the CKT, often with premium ingredients and innovative techniques, it is good to remember that this peasant dish, which has now gained global recognition, came out of necessity and practicality to feed the countless labourers who earned a few cents a day.
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