Penang Char Koay Teow (Flat Rice Noodles)

The ever famous Penang Char Koay Teow, makes me salivate everytime I see or smell it! I am not a picky eater but I am real fussy about my plate of char koay teow. I remember during my school days in Convent Green Lane, there was this school canteen hawker who serves a to-die-for wet char koay teow. Hungry like a cow after school, I always must have a plate at least 3 times a week. Sometimes, I cannot wait so long and just had to have a dose of it during recess time when the canteen is usually ever so crowded. I always thought lining up for my plate of koay teow was a game of 'squeeze-in-queue' and have to say it's the survival of the most determined. I must say until todate, I am yet to savour a plate of the authentic "Convent Green Lane Canteen Char Koay Teow" as how I remembered it. Even after much attempts, I still cannot fry koay teow the exact same way. So, here my closest replica of the REAL THING.

1 packet of koay teow - rinsed in hot water to rid unwanted oil. (serves 3). Recipe will be according to 1 portion.

1 handful taugeh (beansprout), 1/2 handful garlic chives (cut to the length of beansprout), 3 peeled and deveined prawns (leave tail intact), 1 egg

2 Tbsp Chili paste, 1 Tbsp chopped garlic, dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, sea salt

Heat grape seed oil in a wok, throw in the chopped garlic and chili paste. Stir 30 seconds add prawns. Stir 1 minute and put in the koay teow, dark and light sauce and stir another minute. Put in all the sprouts and garlic chives, stir 30 seconds and push all ingredients in the wok aside. Crack an egg and stir in the free space created earlier in the wok. Slowly flip the koay teow over the quickly cooking egg. (Careful not to over stir, may cause the eggs to be too scrambled). Here, I add a little hot water to give it a wet style. (Chicken or prawn stock may be used). Salt to taste.

Note : I love my fried koay teow with large raw shelled cockles just covered with piping hot koay teow. The raw springy texture is just overwhelming! Sadly, I was very dissapointed for I could not find any fresh looking cockles in the market today and most of them look so depressingly tiny. Life has to go on with or without cockles!