Wokhei-infused halal char kway teow by Muslim convert

I like char kway teow sadly, my halal restrictions have relegated my enjoyment of char kway teow to Malay and Indian variations of them. They often are available in deep or mild purple colors and style manner too just like your mee goreng mamak or as plain as consuming boiled kway teow.

It is actually by religion that 786 Char Kway Teow exists, because it’s manned by Anis, each proprietor and chef, who’s a Muslim convert. Located at Bukit Merah View Market & Hawker Centre, Anis was a former Chinese banquet chef of just about 20 years earlier than popping out to promote halal char kway teow on his personal.

His present stall initially belonged to his late grandmother who offered zi char. To make up for the shortage of manpower, Anis determined to promote char kway teow as an alternative, although his cooking model does utilise some side of zi char.

Understandably, Anis has to tweak his recipe as he doesn’t have the choice of utilizing pork and lard to flavour the char kway teow. As such, he depends on a secret mix of seasonings and sauces to make up for lacking components. 

During my lunch there, I observed Anis would cowl a part of the noodles within the wok with a dome-shaped lid which I discovered, afterward, was a technique he adopted from his zi char background. He would then scoop varied dark-coloured sauces earlier than mixing them with the noodles.

What I attempted at 786 Char Kway Teow

Choosing what to eat at 786 Char Kway Teow was pretty easy, together with your solely choice being the dimensions of your Char Kway Teow. My choices have been restricted to Small (S$4), Medium (S$5) and Large (S$6). You can request extra cockles for an additional S$2. 

A plate of Char Kway Teow had fried egg, bean sprouts and a few cockles and fish cake slices. Strangely, I couldn’t discover some greens as seen in some photos on-line, which is a disgrace as I assumed it might add not solely color but in addition texture to the dish.

It was obvious after my first chunk that this was in all probability one of the vital genuine char kway teow I’ve ever had— or not less than it tasted completely different than those I had earlier than. It had a novel wokhei flavour that was imparted by the cooking methodology used.

That distinct smokiness style was what stored me going. I additionally appreciated how well-cooked the noodle was, with simply the correct amount of chew!

It had a cushty stage of spiciness that complemented the savoury soy sauce flavours. I like to recommend leaving the chilli in because it supplies a break from the wealthy style. The bean sprouts additionally added a much-needed crunchy texture, although some would possibly discover it too uncooked.

I want there was an choice so as to add extra fish truffles, as I assumed an additional quantity of protein would actually elevate the dish. It’s clearly not selfmade however nonetheless was a pleasing addition. It had a novel QQ texture that was completely different than what the noodles offered.

I’ve by no means been a fan of cockles, be it on kway teow or on their very own. I discovered that they’ve a metallic style that I simply can’t vibe with. I left it on my plate as I assumed the combination of sauces and textures would change my thoughts. Unfortunately, it didn’t, however for cockles lovers, this could in all probability do you good as there was fairly a good bit of it.

I ponder in the event you’d get a reduction in the event you requested for no cockles.

I used to be so glad with the meal that I tabao-ed a big one. It was roughly 4 hours after my having lunch there and the packed char kway teow was nonetheless heat. The minute I opened the packet, a well-recognized wokhei odor stuffed my room (sure, I’m a hermit) as if Anis cooked it there.

Eating the big portion, I realised you could simply get jelak however then once more you’re in all probability anticipated to share with parts like this.

Final ideas

I don’t assume you may get any halal char kway teow as genuine as those at 786 Char Kway Teow. It ticks all of the containers of any halal variation of a beloved dish, similar to having it made by a convert and somebody who is aware of what an genuine model of the dish is meant to style like.

It can be very inexpensive, with even the smallest plate filling me up once I hadn’t eaten something the entire day. It’s additionally fuss-free! You both get genuine Char Kway Teow or nothing.

This is a brand new daybreak for halal char kway teow!

Expected injury: S$4 – S$6 per pax

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