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CKT fried rice

Made fried rice from Char Kuay Teow ingredients (minus chee yau char). I didn’t have any bean sprouts or chives, so substituted with lettuce which I like in fried rice anyway. Verdict: surprisingly tasty.

Recipe for Char Kuay Teow

Equipment

• Cast iron wok and stirrer
• Gas cooker

Ingredients

I used a pre made sauce called Bang Bang Char Kuay Teow sauce but it is also possible to make your own.

Sauce (balance to taste):

• dark soy sauce
• light soy sauce
• oyster sauce
• kecap manis (or use sugar)

Main dish:

• Cooked rice, cooled - 1 cup
• Chinese sausage (lap cheong) - 2 per serve, sliced
• Fish cake - about 10 thin slices per serve (half a packet)
• Dried prawns, soaked in warm water and then cut into tiny pieces
• garlic - about 1-2 cloves, cut into tiny pieces
• cooking oil - use your judgement, perhaps a few tablespoons
• chilli paste or sambal belachan - 1 tablespoon or according to taste
• iceberg lettuce

Instructions

1. Heat wok on gas cooker.
2. Add frying oil.
3. When oil is hot, add garlic, dried prawns, lap cheong, fish cake together more or less at the same time.
4. Wait for ingredients to be sufficiently cooked (slightly brown), typically after a minute or two. Toss a few times.
5. Create space at centre of wok by moving ingredients around wok. Break two eggs and toss contents into centre “hole”. If required, add extra oil.
6. Break the yolks and stir eggs slightly - no need to batter or mix well. You don’t want scrambled egg.
7. Add salt and pepper to egg.
8. Before egg has hardened, fold the other ingredients on top of egg, and stir a few times to blend the egg with the other ingredients.
9. Add chilli paste (and extra oil if necessary). Wait till paste softens and breaks, then stir in other ingredients.
10. Add rice. Stir a few times until rice breaks into individual grains.
11. When the dish looks ready (use your judgement based on what you have eaten that you enjoyed) add CKT sauce, stir a few times until sauce is blended in rice.
12. Turn off heat, add lettuce. The remaining heat will slightly soften the lettuce.
13. Before the lettuce has cooked completely, remove from wok and plate up.