Cubes of steamed rice cake fried hard on a flat griddle with egg, preserved radish, bean sprouts and dark soy, crisp-edged and chewy inside.

Char koay kak is the Teochew fry-up Penang eats at breakfast: rice cakes cut into cubes and seared with lard, chai poh and egg until the edges char. It shares a wok grammar with char koay teow but stays a morning trade, cheaper and homelier. Sister Yao's stall on Macalister Lane, begun by their father in 1963 and now run by three sisters, took the dish into the Michelin guide with plates from RM4, proof that Penang's cheapest classics stand on merit.

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Make it at home

Serves Serves 22 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 200g rice flour and 30g tapioca starch
  • 500ml water and a pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons lard or oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons preserved radish (chai poh), rinsed
  • 100g bean sprouts
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy and 1 tablespoon light soy
  • Chilli paste and chives to finish

Method

  1. Whisk rice flour, starch, salt and water; steam in a greased tray for 40 minutes until set. Cool fully, then cut into 2cm cubes.
  2. Heat a flat pan or wok until smoking, add lard, and fry the cubes untouched until one side crusts, about 2 minutes.
  3. Add chai poh and the soys, tossing to coat and char the edges.
  4. Push aside, crack in the eggs, let them set halfway, then chop through the cakes with the spatula.
  5. Add sprouts, chives and chilli paste to taste, toss 30 seconds and serve hot off the griddle.

Editor tip. Chill the steamed cake overnight before cutting; warm cake smears on the griddle while cold cubes crisp cleanly.

Common allergens: Egg, Soy.