Penang Char Kway Teow

This is my frist time trying to fried Char Kway Teow. I wouldn't say this is mouth watering, but is ok for home cooked. Probably is my way of cooking that doesn't taste as tasty as I expected to be. Will try again sometime.

Ingredients: (Serve 2)

Chili Paste:
• 50g seeded dried red chiles (soak in water)
• 4 fresh red chilies (seeded)
• 3 small shallots (peeled and sliced)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• A pinch of salt

Sauce (mix and blend well):
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 dashes white pepper powder

Other Ingredients:
• 12 shelled prawn (submerge in cold water with 2 tbsp sugar for 30minutes)
• 500g fresh flat rice noodles (completely loosened and no clumps)
• 500g cockles (extract the cockles by opening its shell)(optional)
• 2 chinese sausages (sliced diagonally)
• a bunch of fresh bean sprouts (rinsed with cold water and drained)
• a bunch of chinese chives (removed about 1-inch of the bottom section and cut into 2-inch lengths)
• 3 cloves garlic chopped finely

Method:
1. Grind all the ingredients of the chilli paste using a mini food processor until fine

2. Heat up a wok with 1 teaspoon oil and stri-fry the chilli paste until aromatic

3. Dish out and set aside

4. Clean the wok thoroughly and heat it over high flame until it starts to smoke. Add 2 tablespoons oil/lard into the wok and add half the portion of chopped garlic into the wok and do a quick stir.

5. Transfer six (6) prawn out of water and half the sausage slices into the wok. Make a few quick stirs with the spatula until the prawn starts to change color and you smell the aroma of the Chinese sausage.

6. Add half the bean sprouts into the wok.

7. Immediately follow by 8 oz. or half portion of the flat noodles.

8. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons of the sauce into the wok and stir vigorously to blend well. Using the spatula, push the noodles to one side, and add a little oil on the empty area and crack an egg on it. Use the spatula to break the egg yolk and stir to blend with the egg white. Flip the noodles and cover the egg, and wait for about 15 seconds.

9. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of chili paste (if you like it spicy, add more) and some cockle clams into the wok.

10. Continue to stir-fry and make sure the egg is cooked through. Add chives, do a couple of quick stirs, dish out and serve immediately.

Note: Repeat the same and make another serving of Char Kuey Teow using the remaining ingredients. Please take note of the proper sequence of the cooking process. This is how it’s done by Char Kuey Teow hawkers in Penang, an art that I love watching since I was a child. Also, a great plate of authentic Penang Char Kuey Teow should be medium brown in color. It shouldn’t be too dark with too much dark soy sauce.