Char kway teow explained

Char kway teow
Alternate Name:Char kuey teow
Country:China (original)
Malaysia[1] and Singapore[2] (adaptation)
Region:Southeast Asia[3] [4]
National Cuisine:Malaysia and Singapore
Creator:Overseas Chinese laborers in Southeast Asia
Type:Shahe fen
Main Ingredient:Shahe fen, light and dark soy sauce, chili paste, belachan, whole prawns, deshelled blood cockles, bean sprouts, Chinese chives, Chinese sausage
T:炒粿條
S:炒粿条
L:stir-fry ricecake strips (i.e. stir-fried ricecake strips)
P:chǎo guǒ tiáo
Y:cháau gwó tìuh
J:caau2 gwo2 tiu4
Poj:chhá-kóe-tiâu
Tl:tshá-kué-tiâu
Also Known As:Alternative name in
Cantonese-speaking regions
T2:炒貴刁
S2:炒贵刁
P2:chǎo guì diāo
Y2:cháau gwai dīu
J2:caau2 gwai3 diu1
L2:transcription from the original name pronunciation in Hokkien (Min Nan)

Char kway teow (sometimes also spelled as char kuey teow,) is a stir-fried rice noodle dish from Maritime Southeast Asia of southern Chinese origin.[5] [6] In Hokkien and Teochew, char means 'stir-fried' and kway teow refers to flat rice noodles.[7] It is made from flat rice noodles or kway teow (;) of approximately 1 cm or about 0.5 cm in width, stir-fried over very high heat with garlic, light and dark soy sauce, chili paste, whole prawns, shelled blood cockles, chopped Chinese chives, slices of Chinese sausage, and bean sprouts.[8] Other common ingredients include fishcake and belachan.

Originally developed and catered to overseas-born Chinese labourers in the Southeast Asia region, the dish has achieved widespread popularity within the region from the late 20th century onwards, particularly in Malaysia and Singapore. The dish has also acquired a reputation of being unhealthy due to its high saturated fat content, as it is traditionally stir-fried in pork fat with crisp croutons of pork lard.

History and etymology

The dish was often sold by fishermen, farmers and cockle-gatherers who doubled as char kway teow hawkers in the evening to supplement their income.[9] The high fat content and low cost of the dish made it attractive to these people as it was a cheap source of energy and nutrients.[10]

The term "char kway teow" is a transliteration of the Chinese characters 炒粿條 (in simplified Chinese 炒粿条). The dish's name is Hokkien (chhá-kóe-tiâu?), but the dish may have its roots in Chaozhou in China's Guangdong province and is mostly associated with the Teochew.[11] The word kóe-tiâu (literally meaning "ricecake strips") generally refers to flat rice noodles, which are the usual ingredient in Singapore and West Malaysia. There is no fixed way of spelling chhá-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 called Malay: kwetiau goreng or Malay: kuetiau goreng in Malay, which conveys the same meaning.[12] [13] In March 2021, Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka (DBP), Malaysia's authority on standardised Malay, formally declared that the proper spelling of flat rice noodles in Malaysian Malay is kuetiau.[13] In Indonesia, the dish is generally called kwetiau goreng, although some regions use the term mitiau instead of kwetiau. Conversely, kuetiau is rarely used in Singapore, with kway teow being used instead.

Owing to the dish's popularity and spread to Cantonese-speaking areas, the term "char kway teow" has been corrupted into "炒貴刁" when presented in the aforementioned areas. The term "" has no real meaning, but its pronunciation in Cantonese and Mandarin is similar to "粿條" in Min Nan.

Variations

"Gourmet" versions of char kway teow, in which the dish may be prepared with more seafood, with crab meat[14] and with duck eggs, may be found in major Malaysian cities like Ipoh and Penang.[15] In Penang, char kway teow is commonly served on a piece of banana leaf on a plate, which is intended to enhance the aroma of the dish.[16]

Char kway teow is a popular, inexpensive dish usually eaten for breakfast and sold at food stalls in Singapore.[17] Blood cockles and prawns are standard fare in typical hawker preparations, while more expensive or luxurious versions incorporate cuttlefish, squid, and lobster meat. Singaporean style char kway teow mixes yellow wheat noodles with flat rice noodles. Some cooks prepare more health-conscious versions with extra vegetables and less oil.[18]

Char kway teow prepared by Muslims in Malaysia and Singapore excludes lard and pork products, and may incorporate alternative ingredients like beef or chicken.[8] [12] Some versions by Malay cooks may emphasise the use of kerang (Malay for cockles) as a key ingredient, and it may be prepared with or without gravy.[19] [20]

Many Southeast Asian restaurants in Hong Kong offer char kway teow as an overseas specialty, although it is of Southeast Asian Chinese origin. The char kway teow offered in Chinese restaurants which serve Hong Kong-style Cantonese cuisine is 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.[21] In some places this is known as Fried "Good Dale", a transliteration of the characters "炒貴刁".[22] [21]

See also

References

  1. Web site: Char Kway Teow. Tourism Malaysia. 9 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20141012132614/http://www.tourism.gov.my/id-id/experiences/a-taste-of-malaysia/char-kway-teow. 12 October 2014. dead.
  2. Web site: Char kway teow . Singapore Infopedia . Bonny . Tan . National Library Board.
  3. Web site: Char Kway Teow. Tourism Malaysia. 9 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20141012132614/http://www.tourism.gov.my/id-id/experiences/a-taste-of-malaysia/char-kway-teow. 12 October 2014. dead.
  4. Web site: Char kway teow . Singapore Infopedia . Bonny . Tan . National Library Board.
  5. Web site: Malaysia’s humble ‘king of noodles’. BBC. 20 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220815120304/https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210118-why-noodles-are-malaysias-most-famous-street-food. 15 August 2022.
  6. Web site: Char Kway Teow. Tourism Malaysia. 9 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20141012132614/http://www.tourism.gov.my/id-id/experiences/a-taste-of-malaysia/char-kway-teow. 12 October 2014. dead.
  7. Web site: Tan . Bonny . Char kway teow . Singapore Infopedia . National Library Board . 9 April 2020.
  8. Web site: The famous Penang char koay teow | Malay Mail. Opalyn. Mok. www.malaymail.com.
  9. Web site: Char kway teow | Infopedia. eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  10. Web site: Kick your 'char kway teow habit'. 8 November 2016. The Straits Times.
  11. Web site: Char kway teow . Singapore Infopedia . Bonny . Tan . National Library Board.
  12. Web site: Char Kway Teow/Fried Flat Rice Noodles (炒粿條) . 26 August 2010 . My Cooking Hut . 5 February 2016.
  13. Web site: It's 'kuetiau', DBP standardises Bahasa Melayu spelling of beloved flat rice noodles. 2 March 2021.
  14. Web site: Char Kway Teow – Penang – Sister. sigmatestudio.com. 28 March 2010.
  15. Web site: 2009-11-03. Penang Fried Flat Noodles - Char Kuey Teow. 2021-01-19. Rasa Malaysia. en-US.
  16. Web site: On the char kway teow trail in Ipoh | Malay Mail. James. Tan. www.malaymail.com.
  17. Cheong, S. (2007, March 24). Orr koay teow, anyone. New Straits Times. Retrieved from Factiva.
  18. Web site: Singapore Food – VisitSingapore. visitsingapore.com.
  19. Web site: Resepi Kuey Teow Kerang Yang Confirm Sedap . 2021-03-30. Fazeeda Abdul Malik. Saji. ms.
  20. Web site: 2020-09-24. Cara Masak Char Kuey Teow Kerang Sedap Secara Homemade . 2021-03-30. Rasa. ms.
  21. Web site: Big Wong. Phyllis. April 1, 1984. Richman. The Washington Post. 2021-03-30.
  22. Web site: Fried Good Dale: A Translation Run Amok. DCist. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100217022056/http://dcist.com/2008/07/fried_good_dale.php. 17 February 2010. dmy-all.