Char Kway Teow, Penang’s plate of smoke
Ask anyone from Penang to name the island’s signature dish and many will say char kway teow (炒粿条). The name is Hokkien: char means stir-fried and kway teow means flat rice noodles.
A worker’s meal
Char kway teow began as cheap, filling food for laborers, fishermen and dock workers. Hawkers fried it fast over a fierce fire and sold it from carts and stalls. It was rich, salty and quick, made to fuel a long day of work.
It’s all about the wok
The noodles are tossed with soy sauce, prawns, bean sprouts, egg and chives in a very hot wok, usually one plate at a time. That intense heat gives the noodles a smoky, slightly charred flavor that Cantonese cooks call wok hei, the “breath of the wok.” It’s the difference between a good plate and a great one.
How to order it here
Our Penang Char Kway Teow ($14) comes with shrimp, squid and bean sprouts in our chef’s special soy sauce. A vegetarian version is available. Want it spicier? Just ask.
If you like it, try the Moonlight Kway Teow next (ask for it, it’s on our On Request menu): the same noodles with pork, shrimp and squid, topped with a raw egg you stir in at the table (dine-in only).