One of our most popular dishes in Singapore is Char Kway Teow. A lot of our food tour guests will always ask the guide about this dish.

So, what is it?

Kway Teow is our name for the flat rice noodles that are the star of this dish. The noodles are fried in light and dark soy sauce. In the wok go prawns, cockles, Chinese chives, fish cake and beansprouts. One of the most well-known sounds in Singapore is the hawker uncle clanging his spoon against the metal wok as he stirs the dish over a hot flame. Like many of our fried noodle dishes in Singapore, we love to cook it in pork fat. It isn’t healthy but it’s tasty.

The Michelin guide first came to Singapore back in 2016. Since then, many people have been lobbying for Singapore’s hawker culture to gain UN heritage status. No other dish in our country’s history epitomises this as much as Char Kway Teow.

The dish was popular with old coolies and dock workers back when Singapore was a trading port for the East India company. The fattiness of the pork and the extra carbs of the bigger noodles was perfect for the hard working men. Today you will see a char kway teow stall in every single hawker centre. Business men in suits sit shoulder to shoulder with labourers. Politicians enjoy it alongside taxi drivers. It really is a dish loved by everyone here.

Tiong Bahru Char Kway Teow has achieved island wide fame in recent years due to its inclusion in the Michelin guide. However, way before this was published people have been queuing to get their fix at this hawker stall. If you ask a local they will tell you that no one hawker makes a Char Kway Teow the same. The secret of this stall is the old uncle who still helms the stall at over 90 years old. Mr Tay Soo Nam started frying the dish when he was in his 20’s. Back then he had a pushcart that he would push through the Singapore streets. The original way of the hawker. Now his daughter and son in law are in charge of the stall. He has done a good job in passing down his skills. As a result Singaporeans and visitors can enjoy this dish for years to come.

One of the most important things we see on our food tour is the passing on of skills. When the younger hawkers are able to learn and continue recipes our food culture can survive.

Where you can taste this famous dish.

If you’re in Tiong Bahru pop in and grab a plate. Go early to avoid the longest queue. Tiong Bahru Fried Kway Teow. 30 Seng Poh Road, 02-11 Tiong Bahru Food centre.

You can meet and eat with more Singapore food heroes on our food tour. Book yours at www.singabites.com

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