Tony Tan’s Malaysian noodle recipes

Char kway teow (stir-fried flat rice noodles)
A popular street food, the best char kway teow is smoky and laced with lard, Chinese sausage and prawns – though nowadays most CKT is cooked with vegetable oil. Made with fresh rice noodles, it is also my go-to dish when I yearn to eat Malaysian food. It is a cinch to make; just have all your ingredients ready, as it is done in a matter of minutes. It is best to cook only a small quantity at a time, so that the noodles take on the charred aroma.

Fresh flat rice noodles are actually cooked, and they are sold in the refrigerated-goods section of Asian grocers. Some are available in sheet form and others are already sliced. They tend to stick, and I find the best method of separating them is to microwave them for 3-4 minutes.

Serves 2
flat rice noodle sheets 300g, fresh 
long red chillies 5, dried, torn and soaked in hot water to soften 
vegetable oil 100ml 
garlic cloves 2, finely chopped 
dried turnip 1 tbsp, minced (optional) 
lap cheong (Chinese sausage) 1, sliced thinly 
prawns 8, small, peeled 
eggs 2, beaten 
thick dark soy 2 tsp 
light soy 2 tbsp 
salt and pepper bean sprouts 2 handfuls 
garlic chives 30g, cut into 5cm lengths

If the rice noodle sheets come in a piece, cut into 1cm-long strips. Place into a microwave-safe container and heat for 1-2 minutes to loosen. Blend the drained chillies to a paste with 3-4 tbsp of water.

Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat. Add 1 tbsp of the chilli paste and half the garlic. Stir-fry for 5-10 seconds – chillies burn easily! Add half the minced turnip, if using, half the lap cheong, half the prawns and half the noodles, and toss thoroughly for 3-4 minutes.

Push the noodles to the side and add half the beaten egg. Add half the soy sauces, garlic chives and bean sprouts. Stir-fry for another minute and transfer on to a serving plate. Wipe the wok clean with kitchen paper and repeat to make a second serving.

Note: freshly made rice noodles are now available in many Asian grocers. If these are not available, buy the refrigerated packets, though they are brittle and should be brought back to room temperature before cooking. Sambal oelek is a good substitute if you are time poor. Blood cockles are used traditionally. Left over chilli purée can be frozen.

Stir-fried hokkien mee
An outdoor-eating sensation, Kuala Lumpur’s fried hokkien mee (also called Fujian chow in Cantonese) creates passionate debate among the locals. Some would drive 25 miles or more just to taste a version that’s cooked with lard or some secret ingredient; others swear it is the charcoal fire used for cooking the noodles that enhances the finished product. I believe it’s the intoxicating smell of frying garlic and the dark soy sauce that make this dish such a crowd-pleaser. However, for health reasons, vegetable oil has replaced lard at many hawkers’ stalls. This deluxe version – it uses seafood – is from KL, meaning it is quite dark; for a lighter colour, you can reduce the quantity of dark soy. The great thing about this simple, quick-to-make stir-fry is that it’s big on flavour and low on effort. Note: I’ve used about 250g of seafood for the dish, but chicken and pork work beautifully, too.

Serves 2 as a main, or 4 as a shared meal
vegetable oil 3 tbsp 
garlic 2 cloves, minced 
green prawns 8, peeled and deveined 
fishcake 8 sliced pieces 
calamari 8 sliced pieces, scored 
hokkien noodles 500g, fresh 
chicken/pork stock or water 400ml
sugar ½ tsp to taste 
dark soy sauce 2 tbsp 
light soy sauce 1 tbsp 
oyster sauce ½ tbsp 
Chinese mustard greens, choy sum or cabbage 100g, coarsely chopped 
salt and pepper 

Heat a wok until just smoking. Add the oil and garlic and stir-fry for about 20 seconds. Add the prawns and the fishcake and calamari pieces, and stir-fry for 1 minute or until the seafood turns opaque and is just cooked through. Remove from the wok and set aside. Add the noodles, stock, sugar and sauces. Reduce the heat to medium and leave to cook for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce is reduced slightly.

Halfway through the cooking time, add the Chinese mustard greens and return the just-fried ingredients to the wok. Toss and stir well until heated through. Adjust seasoning and serve.