These places selling halal and pork-free char kuey teow in KL will challenge your tastebuds and prove that you can have an excellent version of the hawker-style dish too.
As lax as Malaysians can be, we take our food very seriously. Purists will tell you that char kuey teow has two important elements that can make or break the dish: the ubiquitous wok hei, and pork lard. We’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can’t challenge wok hei, but you can always do without pork lard. After all, if this guy managed to swap lard for chicken skin in Hokkien mee and still produce a good plate of noodles, why can’t it be possible for char kuey teow too?
Traditionally, char kuey teow is a noodle dish stir-fried in pork lard for the fat element, tossed around in high heat with a delicious combination of dark soy sauce, chilli, blood cockles, shrimp, fish cake, bean sprouts, and coated with eggs. Want to take it up a notch? Ask for your eggs to be swapped with duck eggs for a richer flavour.
But when it comes to halal/pork-free char kuey teow, it’s a whole different ball game. Other than the dry-noodle style that most are familiar with, most Malay stalls have also invented “kuey teow basah”. Essentially, it’s a wet-style char kuey teow with large helpings of gravy. And depending on which place you head to, the additional ingredients in the dish will differ. Some like to add extra helpings of seafood, while others will have special versions where you can upgrade your shrimp to larger prawns, or even a small lobster.
Tempted yet? Get your fill of halal and pork-free char kuey teow in KL at these places below.
(Featured image credit: Flickr/ Rachelle Tan Photography)
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Craving a hearty plate of char kuey teow? If you’re in Ampang, catch Big Bro Char Kuey Teow at these pasar malams (night market) every day: Taman Cahaya LRT, Bandar Baru Ampang and Taman Dagang. With an option to pick between basah (wet) and kering (dry), you can order your meal with prawns, cockles or chicken. If you’re feeling fancy, order a mix of prawn and cockle or indulge in all three (chicken, cockle and prawn) with your char kuey teow.
Find them at Taman Cahaya LRT, Bandar Baru Ampang and Taman Dagang.
Operating hours: 3 PM – 10 PM
(Image credit: Big Bro Char Kuey Teow)
2 /5
For any vegetarian, you may know the existence of Blue Boy Mansion, a humble vegetarian food court in KL. Famed for its hearty yet delicious local vegetarian bites, you can now enjoy your delicious plate of char kuey teow cooked entirely meat-free. The best part? It tastes just as good thanks to its charred goodness and spicy kick from its chilli paste.
Operating hours: 8 AM – 4 PM
3 /5
You can never go wrong with a mouth-watering plate of duck egg kuey teow, and TTDI provides one of the best. At QUACKTEOW, you can order its speciality dish that consists of a wok-charcoal fired duck egg kuey teow with fresh shrimps, cockles, fishcake, beansprouts and chives. However, if you’re craving the classics, order their CHIXTEOW, which replaces duck eggs with chicken.
Operating hours: 5 PM – 12 AM (closed on Monday & Tuesday)
(Image credit: Instagram/@quackteow.ttdi)
4 /5
Specialising in wet-style char kuey teow, Mie Cord Kuey Tiow in Kampung Sungai Penchala has a loyal fan base since 1993 and we can see why. The sauce is on the sweeter side with a spicy kick, but we found that the additional gravy makes the flat rice noodles silky smooth – not too different from a wat tan hor (Cantonese-style flat rice noodles in egg gravy). Topped with a sunny side up egg, this dish makes for a hearty meal.
Operating hours: 4.30 PM – 12 AM
(Image credit: Instagram/ @miecordcharkueyteow)
5 /5
No, this isn’t the actual name of the char kuey teow stall in Restaurant Jamal Mohamad – it’s simply a nickname given to the original owner and chef who was a large, jovial lady. Unfortunately, “Aunty Gemok” herself passed away in 2018. Thankfully, her nephew has since taken over as chef with the same recipe, and it still tastes as good.
(Image credit: Instagram/ @kyspeaks)
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