Ipoh is famous of her smooth flat rice noodles called koay teow. The best places to savour tasty koay teow soup is in Ipoh and Penang. For thosw preparing this noodle dish at home be sure you get the right koay teow. It is often available (mainly in Ipoh) in two types - thick and thin. The thinner variety is suitabel for koay teow / kway teow soup. Check out the recipe below.

Koay Teow soup  / Koay Teow Th’ng (in Hokkien)
(serves 8)

Ingredients 

• 600g fresh thin koay teow (white flat rice noodles)
• 40 fish balls
• 1 fish cake, cut into 2mm slices
• 300g cooked chicken breast (cook in stock), cut into thin long shreds
• 200g bean sprout
• 4 red chilies, cut into thin strips
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 stalk spring onion, cut finely
• 8-10 bowls of chicken stock
• Light Soya sauce
• pepper

Method
Prepare chicken stock with from bony part of a chicken or bottled/cube stock of chicken. Also cook one piece of breast in the stock.
Cut the chicken meat into thin long shreds. Cut spring onions finely
Heat oil and sauté the garlic until golden brown and dish out. Keep oil aside. Mix one tablespoon of the oil with some soya sauce in a small dish.
Blanch the koay teow in hot boiling water, drain and put aside. Pour some of the boiling water over the bean sprout to cook slightly, drain and put aside. Cook the fish ball and fish cake in hot water and put aside.
To serve, put a portion of the koay teow, and bean sprout in each serving bowl. Garnish on top with fish ball, fish cake slices and chicken shreds.
Ladle soup onto each of the bowl of koay teow. Sprinkle some spring onions, garlic and a dash of pepper over the koay teow. Pour half a tea spoon of the soya sauce with oil over. Serve koay teow with a small saucer of chilies in light soya sauce.