Kwetiau goreng should not be confused with char kway teow.
| Kwetiau goreng | |
| Alternate Name: | Kwetiaw goreng |
| Region: | Nationwide |
| Course: | Main course |
| Served: | Hot |
| Main Ingredient: | Fried flat noodles with chicken, meat, beef, prawn or crab |
Indonesian: Kwetiau goreng (Indonesian for 'fried flat noodle') is an Indonesian[1] style of stir fried flat rice noodle dish.[2] It is made from noodles, locally known as Indonesian: [[shahe fen|kwetiau]], which are stir-fried in cooking oil with garlic, onion or shallots, beef, chicken, fried prawn, crab or sliced bakso (meatballs), chili, Chinese cabbage, cabbages, tomatoes, egg, and other vegetables with an ample amount of Indonesian: [[kecap manis]] (sweet soy sauce).[1] In Asia, Indonesian: kwetiau is available in two forms, dried and fresh.[3] Its recipe is quite similar to another Chinese Indonesian favourite, Indonesian: [[mie goreng]], with the exception of replacing yellow wheat noodles for flat rice noodles.[3]
Ubiquitous in Indonesia, Indonesian: kwetiau is sold by many food vendors, from traveling street hawkers in their carts (Indonesian: [[warung]]s) to high-end restaurants. It is a favourite one-dish meal amongst Indonesians, although street food hawkers commonly sell it together with Indonesian: mie goreng and Indonesian: [[nasi goreng]] (fried rice). Indonesian: Kwetiau goreng is also served in Indonesian franchise restaurants.[4]
Indonesian Indonesian: kwetiau goreng usually tastes mildly sweet with a generous addition of sweet soy sauce, spicier with the addition of sambal chili sauce as condiment, and mostly using halal chicken and beef instead of pork and lard to cater to the Muslim majority population. The most common protein sources for Indonesian: kwetiau goreng are beef, chicken, prawns, or crab.[1]
Chinese influence is evident in Indonesian food, such as Indonesian: [[bakmi]], Indonesian: [[mie ayam]], Indonesian: pangsit, Indonesian: [[mie goreng]] and Indonesian: kwetiau goreng.[5] The dish is derived from Chinese stir-fried Chinese: [[shahe fen]] and believed to have been introduced by Chinese immigrants in Indonesia over several centuries. The Chinese first made contact with Indonesia in the 7th century, and by the 1600s Chinese settlements had sprung up along the coasts of Java and Sumatra.[2] Centuries of interactions between the two cultures resulted in the blending of Chinese and local cuisine. Kwetiau goreng may be served with sweet soy sauce that adds mild sweetness, or a sprinkle of bawang goreng fried shallots, or sambal to add spiciness. Kwetiau goreng may have a Indonesian: [[krupuk]] topping to add a crispy texture, and not contain pork or lard to cater for Muslims.
Just like Indonesian: mie goreng, Indonesian: kwetiau goreng recipes might vary according to its ingredients. The popular variants are Indonesian: kwetiau goreng sapi (beef),[6] Indonesian: kwetiau goreng ayam (chicken), Indonesian: kwetiau goreng seafood (including cuttlefish, prawn and fish) and Indonesian: kwetiau goreng kepiting (crab). The Indonesian: kwetiau goreng pedas (hot and spicy) uses a lot of chili pepper, while Indonesian: kwetiau goreng sayuran mainly uses vegetables.[3]
Another popular Indonesian: kwetiau recipe is called Indonesian: kwetiau kuah (Indonesian: kwetiau with soup), Indonesian: kwetiau ayam (chicken Indonesian: kwetiau with soup) and Indonesian: kwetiau siram (poured Indonesian: kwetiau), in which the flat rice noodles are boiled or poured with thick soup or sauce instead of being stir-fried. Another variant called Indonesian: kwetiau bun is similar to Indonesian: kwetiau goreng but moister and softer with the addition of more water.[7]
There is a variation called Indonesian: kwetiau goreng lenjer, which is made by slicing the Indonesian: [[pempek]] and mixing it with chicken, prawns, eggs, bean sprouts and soy sauce.[8]