Since leaving a career in finance to open his first restaurant, Ho Jiak Strathfield, a decade ago, self-taught kitchen talent Junda Khoo has gathered a loyal following for his craveable Malaysian cooking.

Of the hawker-style dishes and big, bold flavours served at the handful of Ho Jiak venues now dotted across Sydney, none is more popular than his spicy, smoky char kway teow.

Here’s how to make Khoo’s signature rice noodle dish, along with three other cult recipes from his new cookbook Ho Jiak: A Taste of Malaysia.

Char kway teow

When I came up with my version of this dish, I was trying to recreate the CKT that Amah used to buy for me from the wet market. The wet market hawker chefs just want to feed people quickly, and the quickest way to give something flavour is dark soy, light soy and chilli. It’s much darker than the usual CKT. I wanted to capture that taste but also incorporate typical Penang ingredients, like pork fat and lap cheong (Chinese sausage), and fry it in a very, very hot wok to give it more wok hei (the smoky flavour you get from a hot work).

I received a lot of criticism from other Malaysians when I first made this at Strathfield – “it’s not authentic”, “it’s not traditional” – but I thought it was delicious. Little did I know it would become the most popular dish across all Ho Jiak restaurants and my signature dish. I like that. I think it sums up what I do. I am not trying to be authentic or original, I just want to make delicious food.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp pork oil (see below)
• 4 raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 250g fresh flat rice noodles
• 2 tbsp prawn oil (see below) (or more as needed)
• 1 tsp chilli giling (see below)
• 8 slices lap cheong (Chinese sausage)
• 8 clams
• 5 fishcake slices (thinly sliced)
• 1 tbsp crispy pork lard (see below)
• 2 tbsp dark soy blend (see below)
• 2 eggs
• pinch of white pepper
• 5 chives, cut into 3cm lengths
• 1 handful bean sprouts

METHOD

1. Heat the pork oil in a wok to smoking point, then add the prawns and fry until half-cooked, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and noodles and toss on high heat, splashing with a little prawn oil and water as needed until the noodles are glistening and soft, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the chilli giling, lap cheong, clams, fishcake and crispy pork lard and stir-fry until the rice noodles are evenly coated and start to caramelise. Add 1 tablespoon of the dark soy blend, give it a good mix, then push everything to one side of the wok.
3. Pour some of the prawn oil into the empty side of wok and break the eggs in. Pop both yolks and swirl the wok so the egg coats the empty wok base. Season with white pepper then flip the noodles back onto the eggs and leave until they are fully cooked, about 30 seconds. This part is crucial – if you stir before the eggs are fully cooked, they will get clumpy and stick to the noodles.
4. Once the eggs are cooked, give it all a good stir, breaking the eggs and stirring them into the noodles. Add the chives and bean sprouts and continue stir-frying until the bean sprouts are half-cooked and still crunchy. Add the second tablespoon of dark soy blend, give it all a stir and then serve.

Serves 1

Mee mamak (Mamak-style stir-fried noodles)

I suffered from asthma as a kid. The doctors told my parents to try swimming, so my parents enrolled me in lessons when I was six or seven, even though swimming lessons weren’t cheap. And so I swam, and swam, and swam, and my asthma went away. I have never had asthma again and now I love swimming – I snorkel, I scuba-dive, I go fishing. Anyway, after swimming class, my mum would take me and my brother to a coffee shop, a nice place with air-con. We would get three things: mee mamak (a savoury, spicy and sweet stir-fry with Hokkien noodles), fried chicken wings and a Black Forest sundae after. To be honest, we were never there for the mee mamak – when we ate that we were thinking about three scoops of chocolate ice-cream, hot chocolate fudge, sprinkles and a cherry on top. If I ate that sundae now I would probably hate it, but I still love mee mamak.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 long red chillies, roughly chopped
• 8 tbsp vegetable oil
• 300g fresh Hokkien noodles
• 2 eggs
• 4 raw king prawns, peeled and deveined
• 3 fishballs, sliced
• 5 fishcake slices
• 4 tofu puffs, sliced
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy blend (see below)
• 1 tsp chilli giling (see below)
• 1 handful bean sprouts
• 1 lettuce leaf, finely sliced
• ½ lime

METHOD

1. Blitz the onion, garlic and chillies in a blender or food processor to form a paste.
2. Heat 5 tablespoons of the oil in a wok over a low heat, then saute the blended paste for about 10 minutes or until fragrant. Remove paste and set aside.
3. Place the Hokkien noodles in a bowl and cover with hot water for 3 minutes, then drain and set aside.
4. In a clean wok, heat the remaining oil to smoking point, break in the eggs and scramble vigorously until cooked. Add the prawns and stir-fry until half-cooked, about 1 minute. Add the noodles, fishballs, fishcake and tofu and stir-fry briefly. Add the paste back in along with the tomato sauce, sweet chilli sauce, dark soy blend and chilli giling and stir-fry until the noodles are soft and evenly coated.
5. Stir in the bean sprouts and season with salt, MSG and sugar to taste.
6. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the lettuce and lime.

Serves 1

Ipoh hor fun (chicken noodles)

We usually have this for breakfast in Malaysia if we’ve had Hainan chicken the night before. If you have leftover chicken, just adding a few more ingredients creates a great breakfast.

INGREDIENTS

• 20 raw large prawns
• 200ml vegetable oil
• 1 French shallot, finely sliced
• 2 litres (8 cups) chicken broth leftover from Hainan chicken or chicken stock (see below)
• 1kg fresh flat rice noodles
• 350g (2 cups) leftover Hainan chicken meat (or any cooked chicken), shredded
• ½ bunch chives, cut into 5cm lengths, to serve

METHOD

1. Peel and devein the prawns, but retain the heads and shells.
2. Heat half of the oil in a wok and fry the prawn heads and shells on a low heat until the shells are crispy and the oil is red. Sieve the prawn oil into a bowl and set aside, then discard the solids.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the wok and fry the shallot until brown and crispy. Sieve the shallot oil into a bowl and set aside the fried shallots.
4. Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan and add the prawns, then remove with a slotted spoon when just cooked and set aside. Season the broth with some salt, sugar, MSG and pepper to taste and set aside.
5. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Separate the noodles with your hands before quickly blanching them in the boiling water. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water, then tip into a large bowl and mix with the shallot oil. This will give flavour and stop the noodles from sticking together.
6. Divide the rice noodles between four serving bowls and top with the prawns, shredded chicken, chives and fried shallots. Ladle some boiling hot broth over each and drizzle with the prawn oil.

Serves 4

KL Hokkien mee

My death-row meal would be Penang white curry mee and Hokkien mee from Restoran Ahwa in Petaling Jaya, a dai chow my grandpa used to take me to for supper late at night. The guy there cooked everything in a wok over charcoal. I still go there when I’m in Malaysia, and every time I take that first bite, I think the same thing: This. Is. The. Shit.

Once, when I was missing Hokkien mee, I put it on at Haymarket as a special. It was delicious, but I pulled it. My staff thought I was nuts because not many places did Hokkien mee and it was selling like crazy, but I was scared our Hokkien mee was going to destroy my memory of the dai chow version I ate with my grandad. I didn’t want to lose that, and I won’t put it on again. Even though it’s literally just soy sauce noodles – like how good can it be? – that’s the food memory I want to have before I die.

INGREDIENTS

• 250g fresh thick Hokkien noodles
• 4 tbsp pork oil (see below)
• 5 raw king prawns, shelled and deveined
• 25g pork fillet, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
• 3 tbsp dark soy blend (see below)
• 1 tbsp cooking caramel
• 200ml water
• 5 fishcake slices
• 25g pork liver, thinly sliced
• ½ bunch choy sum, chopped to 5cm lengths
• 1 handful crispy pork lard (see below)
• 1 egg yolk, to serve

METHOD

1. Blanch the noodles in a saucepan of boiling water for a few seconds, then drain.
2. In a wok, bring the pork oil to smoking point then stir-fry the prawns, pork fillet slices and garlic together until fully cooked. Add the noodles and stir-fry again for 1 minute, then add the dark soy blend, cooking caramel and water to the wok and bring it to a boil.
3. Once boiling, add the fishcake, pork liver and choy sum, stir-frying until the sauce thickens by evaporation.
4. Once most of the water has evaporated and the sauce is thick and black, stir the crispy pork lard through, then transfer the noodles to a serving plate and top with the raw egg yolk.

Serves 1

HOW TO MAKE ...

Chicken stock

Stock is probably one of the simplest ways to add richness to whatever you’re cooking. It’s also super easy and cheap to make. I make mine from all the parts of a chicken that are usually discarded. This recipe (and the other stocks that follow) is for a clear, diluted stock, to keep it versatile. If you want to pump it up a notch, add more herbal, sweet or umami flavours and cook for a second round. If you put in any leafy greens, don’t leave them in for more than 10 minutes or the stock will be too bitter. Try experimenting with different ingredients – you can put pretty much anything in a stock.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 litres (12 cups) water
• 2 whole raw chicken carcasses
• 2 star anise
• root ends of 1 bunch spring onions
• 5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled

METHOD

1. Put everything in a large saucepan and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 4 hours. Skim the top of the broth every hour and discard skimmings.
2. After 4 hours, strain the stock into sealable containers and allow to cool. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Makes 2.5 litres (10 cups)

Pork oil and crispy pork lard

These are Malaysian gold. They are crucial in so many stir-fry and noodle dishes. The lingering taste and smell of pork gives so much flavour, and the crispiness of the lard adds great texture. A plate of char kway teow or Hokkien mee wouldn’t be the same without them.

I usually get my pork fat from the butcher in one piece rather than diced up. That way I can cut it to the size I want so it cooks evenly.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 kg pork fat (skin off)
• 1 tsp salt
• 400ml vegetable oil

METHOD

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and simmer the pork fat for 15 minutes to remove impurities and make it easier to cut. Drain and transfer to an ice bath to cool for 15 minutes. Drain again and then cut into 2cm cubes, removing any meat still attached. Pat dry then put in a bowl with the salt and mix well. Refrigerate for 2 hours (this is important to avoid oil splashes later).
2. Put the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and heat to smoking point. Carefully add the pork fat cubes and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the pork fat floats to the top of the oil and starts to bubble as it loses its water content. At that point, turn the heat to low and cook for another 15 minutes or until the pork fat turns golden brown.
3. When golden brown, remove the pork fat with a slotted spoon and place in a large mixing bowl lined with paper towel. Give the pork fat a good shake to aerate it then allow to cool. Once cool, store in an airtight container lined with paper towel. This can be stored at room temperature for a week.
4. Allow the pork-flavoured oil to cool in the saucepan, then pour into a bottle or jar. This can be stored at room temperature for a week or up to 4 weeks in the fridge.

Makes 600ml of oil and a container of crispy lard (about 700g)

Prawn oil

Like shallot oil, you can use this to cook with or as a finisher to add flavour. It’s very strong, so drizzling even a little on a steamed egg adds a heap of umami prawn flavour. You can buy prawn heads from the market very cheaply, or just buy unpeeled prawns, which are cheaper than peeled prawns anyway, and keep the heads and shells in the freezer – when you have enough, make this.

INGREDIENTS

• 400ml vegetable oil
• 1 kg raw prawn heads and shells
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp chilli giling (see below)

METHOD

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan to smoking point, then carefully add the remaining ingredients. When the oil begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until the shells are crispy, stirring every now and then. Remove from the heat and carefully pour through a sieve into a sturdy bowl. When the oil is cool, transfer to a bottle or jar. This can be stored at room temperature for a week or up to 4 weeks in the fridge.

Makes 400ml

Chilli giling

At Ho Jiak we have more than 10 kinds of chilli pastes and sauces. This one is the most basic and the easiest to make, literally just chillies and oil. But it’s also the most versatile. You’ll see it in a lot of recipes in this cookbook. I add it to stir-fries and curries when I want more spice.

INGREDIENTS

• 200g dried red chillies
• 400ml vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt

METHOD

1. Soak the chillies in hot water for 2 hours or until soft. Drain then blend in a food processor to a paste. Place in a sieve for an hour to allow any water to drip out.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan to smoking point, then add the chilli paste and stir constantly for about 8 minutes or until the mixture starts to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue stirring for another 5 minutes. Add the salt, then allow to cool completely before pouring into a jar. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

Makes 400ml

Dark soy blend

INGREDIENTS

• 350ml Cheong Chan caramel sauce
• 300ml Lee Kum Kee light soy sauce
• 350ml oyster sauce
• 150ml fish sauce
• 6 tbsp MSG
• 6 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground white pepper

METHOD

1. Put all the sauces in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer while stirring well; do not allow to boil. Once it is simmering, add the seasonings and stir well. When everything is well mixed and dissolved, turn off the heat and allow to cool. Funnel into a sauce bottle and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

Makes 1 litre (4 cups)

This is an edited extract from Ho Jiak: A Taste of Malaysia by Junda Khoo, published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $55.00. Photography by Alana Dimou. Buynow