Healthy Char Kway Teow

DESCRIPTION

Char Kway Teow is arguably one of the most popular hawker classic in Malaysia and around the world. It's delicious but is quite calorie-dense and not the best for you. Next time you're craving the dish, try this healthified version instead! It's lower in carbs (thanks to the shirataki noodles) and fat but still big in flavours!

INGREDIENTS

• 500g shirataki noodles
• 150g prawns
• 300g beansprouts
• 1 carrot
• 5g chives
• 2 eggs
• 100g fish cake
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil

Sauce

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp garlic chilli sauce
• 10 drops stevia
• 1/4 tsp fish sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the Shirataki Noodles:

1. Drain the noodles, then rinse in a large sieve under tap water for a few minutes.
2. Transfer noodles into a pot of boiling water and cook for a few minutes, or follow cooking instructions on packaging.
3. Drain noodles.
4. Pan fry the noodles (without any oil) on medium heat for a few minutes. This is to remove as much water as possible to enhance the texture of noodles. Keep turning the noodles with tongs and take care not to let them dry out too much. Now the noodles are ready.

Prepare Other Ingredients:

5. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside.
6. Wash and devein prawns.
7. Crack eggs into a bowl and beat.
8. Slice fish cake and carrot.
9. Wash and drain beansprouts.

Cooking:

6. Heat up 1 tsp of olive oil over high heat in a wok or the largest skillet you have. Add prawns and stir-fry until just cooked through. Remove from wok and set aside.
7. Heat up 1/2 tsp of olive oil over high heat in the same wok/skillet. Add carrot and stir-fry for about 1 minute or until golden brown. Remove from wok and set aside.
8. Heat up 1/2 tsp of olive oil over high heat in the same wok/skillet. Add fish cake and stir-fry for about 1 minute or until golden brown. Remove from wok and set aside.
9. Heat up 1 tsp of olive oil over high heat in the same wok/skillet. Add beaten egg and scramble. Remove immediately when done from wok and set aside.
10. Add bean sprouts to wok and cook for 1 minute or until they start to wilt. Remove from wok and set aside.
11. Heat up 1/2 tbsp olive oil over high heat in the same wok/skillet. Add shirataki noodles and stir-fry for 1 minute, dispersing the oil evenly throughout the noodles.
12. Add half of the sauce and stir-fry for 1 minute, dispersing the sauce evenly throughout the noodles.
13. Add the rest of the pre-cooked ingredients and chives and stir-fry for another minute or two, allowing everything to caramelise a bit.
14. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

NOTES

• Wok hey," or "breath of the wok" is the soul of a good plate of char kway teow. Since it's hard to get really high heat in a home kitchen, it's crucial not to overcrowd the skillet when cooking (which would result in your ingredients stewing in liquid). It is important to follow the steps to stir-fry each ingredient separately to ensure that everything is nicely charred and caramelised.
• Use any oil of your choice, but make sure it has a high smoking point.
• Use the flat, wide version of shirataki noodles as it will most closely imitate the flat rice noodles traditionally used in this dish.
• Traditionally, lard and lap cheong (Chinese sausage) are also present in this dish. They are omitted in this recipe as they're not the healthiest ingredients, but you can add them if you wish.
• Carrot is not traditionally present in this dish, but is added to this recipe for the sake of adding more nutrients to the dish. Omit or use other vegetables if you wish.

© Chloe Ting Recipes – https://chloeting.com/recipes/healthy-char-kway-teow