< Previous92 Jia!Rice & Noodles 93Char Kway TeowChar kway teow, translated literally, is just “stir-fried rice noodles.” In Teoswa, it’s a dish prepared much like a lardier version of the Cantonese chow fun you can find in even the smallest American towns. A Teoswa chef will fry fresh rice noodles with vegetables, seafood, and/or meat with some restrained seasonings in a searing hot, lard-slicked wok. In Southeast Asia, however, char kway teow transformed into an entirely different beast. According to some stories, this evolved as a delicious, belly-filling way for merchants to use up their unsold wares at the end of a market day. Today, the “old-school” versions you’ll find in Singapore and Malaysia include flat rice noodles, round egg noodles, cockles, Chinese sausage, shrimp, fish cake, bean sprouts, chives, egg, and — if you’re lucky — not just lard, but also crispy fried cubes of pork fat, all tossed with chili paste and dark and light soy sauces. Reader, I took my first bite of this magic combination at a crowded hawker center, surrounded by Singaporean office workers on their lunch breaks. Time slowed, the sweltering tropical heat subsided, and I entered a noodle-induced bliss. Nothing existed except for me and the plate of noodles handed over by the wizened hawker stall uncle, who had perfected his noodle-frying ballet over decades of practice. It was then that I discovered serenity is best delivered on a pink plastic plate.Anyway, more “modern” versions omit the lard in the name of health. Don’t be fooled! Char kway teow minus some pork fat still isn’t health food. When you do indulge in this plate of heaven on earth, I say go for the full (exponentially more delicious, lard-infused) monty. If you can’t immediately hop a plane to 94 Jia!Singapore or Penang, your best bet for trying the old-school version is to cook it up in your own kitchen. Sure, our puny home ranges may not crank hot enough to achieve the smoky wok hei made possible by an industrial burner, but the regrettable scarcity of Indo-Malay-Singaporean eateries across most of the US means your version just might be the most flavorful option for thousands of miles around.Serves 4 (in deceptively small but filling portions)8 ozshrimpSauce1/2 tspsalt4 tbspdark soy sauce1/8 tspbaking soda1 tbsplight soy sauce3 tbsp + 1 tbsplard2 tbspchili sauce5 clovesgarlic, minced2 tspfish sauce4 ozfish cake,* sliced 1/4” thick3 tbspwater2lap cheong, sliced 1/4” thick on a bias12 ozflat rice noodles, separated4 ozround yellow noodles2eggs12Manila clams or New Zealand cockles (optional)4 ozchives, cut into 2” segments4 ozbean sprouts* Look for the fried surimi kind that looks like a flat, brown, oblong pancake.Rice & Noodles 951 Toss shrimp with salt and baking soda and set aside to marinate. Mix together all sauce ingredients and set aside.2 To maintain a searing hot temperature in the wok, fry the char kway teow in two batches. Heat a wok over high heat and add 1.5 tbsp lard. Add half the minced garlic and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add half of the marinated shrimp and stir-fry for a minute, then remove to a plate, leaving the lard in the wok. 3 Add sliced fish cake and lap cheong to wok and fry for 30 seconds. Add noodles and sauce mixture, and stir-fry to coat everything evenly. Once thoroughly seasoned, let everything sear undisturbed for a minute. Stir-fry to mix it up, then repeat the searing/stir-frying process 2 or 3 more times until you see some caramelization. 4 Push everything to one side of the wok. In the cleared half, add 1/2 tbsp lard and crack one egg. Let it fry until half-set, then scramble and mix with rest of wok contents. If using clams, add half to the wok and stir-fry until they just begin to open. Add half of chives and bean sprouts, and the reserved par-cooked shrimp back into the wok and stir-fry for another two minutes. Remove to serving plate. 5 Repeat steps 2–6 with the remaining ingredients. Serve with lime wedges or halved calamansi.100 Jia!Chilled Seafood“Chilled seafood” may typically bring to mind decadent multi-tier platters of fruits de mer on ice alongside flutes of champagne, but in the Teoswa context, “freezing” your seafood is rooted in a much humbler tradition. During long expeditions, fishermen would steam their fresh catches over seawater to better preserve their wares while drifting far offshore. Back on solid land, they would sell the cold, whole cooked fish and crabs to customers, who would dip the fish in a savory taucheo dip and the crab in tart vinegar — or just enjoy the ocean flavors on their own. Even as preservation options have expanded, the Teoswa people have continued preparing seafood in this way in order to showcase its freshness. Consuming raw fish also goes back a long time in Teoswa — and indeed, throughout many parts of China. The practice of eating sashimi didn’t persist to the present day in most other regions, but it’s always had fans in Teoswa. These days in Swatow, my family will typically dab wasabi-laced soy sauce on their sashimi, in the fashionable Japanese style. But in Bangkok, I tried fish prepared in an old-school Teoswa way that was new to me: thin slices of freshwater fish (bighead carp, specifically) topped with sesame oil and a flurry of toasted sesame seeds. To eat, swipe a slice of fish through a sweet, nutty, and mildly spicy sauce. In between bites, refresh your palate with sliced cucumbers, pineapple, preserved radish, and pickled daikon and carrots.Here are some chilled seafood preparations that you can combine in whichever way makes sense for you. You could prepare a chilled fish ahead of time for an easy weeknight Seafood 101Chilled Seafood“Chilled seafood” may typically bring to mind decadent multi-tier platters of fruits de mer on ice alongside flutes of champagne, but in the Teoswa context, “freezing” your seafood is rooted in a much humbler tradition. During long expeditions, fishermen would steam their fresh catches over seawater to better preserve their wares while drifting far offshore. Back on solid land, they would sell the cold, whole cooked fish and crabs to customers, who would dip the fish in a savory taucheo dip and the crab in tart vinegar — or just enjoy the ocean flavors on their own. Even as preservation options have expanded, the Teoswa people have continued preparing seafood in this way in order to showcase its freshness. Consuming raw fish also goes back a long time in Teoswa — and indeed, throughout many parts of China. The practice of eating sashimi didn’t persist to the present day in most other regions, but it’s always had fans in Teoswa. These days in Swatow, my family will typically dab wasabi-laced soy sauce on their sashimi, in the fashionable Japanese style. But in Bangkok, I tried fish prepared in an old-school Teoswa way that was new to me: thin slices of freshwater fish (bighead carp, specifically) topped with sesame oil and a flurry of toasted sesame seeds. To eat, swipe a slice of fish through a sweet, nutty, and mildly spicy sauce. In between bites, refresh your palate with sliced cucumbers, pineapple, preserved radish, and pickled daikon and carrots.Here are some chilled seafood preparations that you can combine in whichever way makes sense for you. You could prepare a chilled fish ahead of time for an easy weeknight 102 Jia!dinner. For a larger get-together, steam a few crabs, a few pounds of shrimp, and a fish the night before, then slice a platter of sashimi on the day of. I’ve suggested dipping sauce combinations to pair with each dish but haven’t given set amounts for the ingredients, as the proportions are all flexible — it’s a matter of personal taste. You can also just set out Chinkiang vinegar, plum sauce, taucheo, soy sauce, minced garlic, julienned ginger, lime wedges, sugar, and sesame oil, and let everyone concoct their own sauce(s) at the table. FishMullet is a traditional favorite, with firm, rich, and flavorful meat. If mullet is not available, you can also use striped bass or seabass (lighter, sweeter flavor), or mackerel or small bluefish (oilier, more intense flavor). Or, ask your fishmonger for a Cold steamed fish for sale in SwatowSeafood 103similar alternative available that day. Make sure the fish has clear eyes, a shiny gleam, and smells clean. Look for a 1.5- to 2-lb specimen. Ask for the whole fish to be cleaned but not scaled. Keeping the scales on helps the skin pull away cleanly from the cooked meat, which you can do tableside for a bit of theater. Bring water in a steamer to a boil. Steam for roughly 8 minutes per pound of fish, until it reaches a temperature of 145° F at the thickest part. (That’s right: don’t season the fish before steaming.) Once cooked, refrigerate the fish until thoroughly chilled, at least a few hours and up to two nights before serving (cover the plate with plastic wrap if you’re keeping it overnight or longer). When you’re ready to serve, make a few well-placed cuts through the fish skin and open it like a book cover to reveal the tender meat inside.Traditionally, the fish is paired with just taucheo, but these days it is also popular to round out the dip with lime juice and chili. A good starting point: mix a tablespoon of taucheo, a squeeze of a lime wedge, and 2 slices of chili pepper together. Taste and adjust to your preference. 104 Jia!CrabMake sure the crabs you get at the store are feisty and kicking. Cook them as soon as you can. Bring water in a steamer to a boil. For larger crabs with thicker shells, like Dungeness, steam roughly 8 minutes per pound (calculate the average weight of your crabs). For smaller blue crabs, steam for about 10 minutes total. The shells will be fully orange once cooked; if you see any blue or green patches when you check for doneness, keep on steaming. You can steam them upside down to collect the juices in the shell rather than losing them to the pot. Refrigerate crabs until thoroughly chilled, for at least a few hours and up to two nights before serving. Cover the plate with cling wrap if you’re keeping it overnight or longer. Serve with a dip of julienned ginger and Chinkiang vinegar. ShrimpIf you have access to live shrimp or prawns, this is a terrific way to showcase their freshness. When they’re available here in California, live ridgeback shrimp are my favorite. If you don’t have access to a tank of wriggling shrimp, no worries — just get the highest quality shell-on specimens you can find. Bring water in a steamer to a boil. Steam the shrimp for just a few minutes until they all turn pink. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, for at least a few hours and up to two nights before serving. Cover the plate with cling wrap if you’re keeping it overnight or longer. Serve with a dip of julienned ginger and Chinkiang vinegar. Seafood 105SashimiUse your favorite sashimi-grade fish. Slice into 1/4” pieces (thinner than you would for Japanese sashimi). Arrange on a plate. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and drizzle with a little sesame oil if desired. Mix together Chili Plum Sauce (page 55), sesame oil, taucheo, and peanuts (optional) for a dipping sauce. For a Bangkok flair, serve with cucumbers, pineapple, preserved radish, and pickled daikon and carrots.Sashimi in BangkokNext >