How to make Curry Chee Cheong Fun '咖哩猪肠粉' - WoonHeng (2024)

This Curry Chee Cheong Fun (咖哩猪肠粉, Gālí zhū cháng fěn) is one of those nostalgic foods growing up in Malaysia. It’s a simple rice noodle dish that I always look forward to for breakfast. This recipe is vegan, easy-to-make, and gluten-free.

Did you have a favorite food growing up? Mine is always Chu Cheong Fun (猪肠粉, Zhū cháng fěn) and it’s my must-have breakfast every time I visit home.

What is Chu Cheong Fun? It’s just simply a flat rice noodle dish that is normally rolled up and served with simple sauces.

Chu Cheong Fan is a transliteration from 猪肠粉, Zhū cháng fěn which translate to pig intestine noodle as the shape of the rolled noodles resemble pig intestines. But, don’t worry, these plain noodles are usually made with a mixture of rice flour, starch, and water.

There are usually a few sauces that you can pair this soft, chewy, smooth rice noodle dish with. Options include curry, sweet black bean sauce – similar to hoisin sauce – chili paste, or just with soy sauce and a drizzle of shallot oil.

My favorite is the first 3 sauces as a combo or just with curry alone. Whatever the combination is, this dish is simply delicious.

To make a complete meal, many sellers add stuffed vegetables or ‘Yong Tau Foo’ as an option for an extra cost. Here is how my Yong Tau Foo looks like that I made with tofu and other vegetables such as bitter gourd, beancurd sheet, okra, chili peppers, and eggplant.

Today, let’s make a simple version of this curry chu cheong fun with the steps below.

How to make Curry Chu Cheong Fun

First, prepare the batter for the noodles using the Homemade Flat Rice Noodle recipe. Please see my notes for other starch options.

Instead of using 2 non-stick cake pan, I used a flat quarter sheet pan to steam my noodles with.

For each steam, be sure to stir the batter until well-combined before adding to the sheet pan as the flour will set to the bottom of the bowl over time.

Brush a warmed pan with a layer of cooking oil (I used avocado oil), then add about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan. Please note that if you have a smaller or bigger pan, you’ll adjust the batter accordingly.

Steam batter over high heat for about 2 minutes until they turn matte white or fully cooked through.

Brush the top layer with oil, then let the noodles cool down a little before removing and cutting them into your desired width. When the pan is hot, it’ll be hard for you to lift up the noodles.

To make the curry, sauté homemade sambal for a few seconds, then, add in the water and let the mixture cook down. Stir in coconut milk and season to taste.

Ladle curry over chee cheong fun and enjoy a simple meal with a side of veggies or tofu dish for a complete meal.

Chee Cheong Fun’s batter variation

This recipe has two main ingredients; rice flour and tapioca starch. The proportion of these two flours with the water ratio determines the stretchiness and how thin the noodles are. With that said, I have tried a few ratios with the results below:

• Thin and soft, most suitable as serve-is. Because it’s so thin and soft, these are not good for stir-fries or drenched in curry. So, I normally serve this recipe with sweet bean sauce and chili sauce.
  • 1/2 cup [80g] rice flour⁣⁣
  • 2 -3 tablespoons tapioca starch⁣⁣
  • 1 cup [235ml] warm water⁣⁣
  • 1 cup [235ml] hot water⁣⁣
  • drizzle of oil⁣⁣
  • a pinch of salt⁣⁣

• Pliable and soft, doesn’t break easily, best for stir-fries such as Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles), Char Kuey Teow, or in this Chee Cheong Fan dish.
  • 1cup[120g] rice flour
  • ⅓cup[40g] tapioca starch
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1⅓cup[315g] water

• I also found that when I replaced the above tapioca starch with sweet potato starch, the noodles are more stretchy.

Curry Chee Cheong Fun FAQ and Tips

Is it vegan? Yes, this recipe is but if you are in Malaysia, this is typically not a vegan dish as dried shrimps or sambal belacan are normally added to make the curry. They normally are if it’s with sweet bean sauce, so please check with the seller accordingly.

Mix the batter well before each steam – this is crucial as some rice flour will start to set at the bottom of the bowl.

How do I make sure the batter covers the pan? If you see the batter starts to separate and leave gaps in the pan. You can:

• Tilt the pan and let the batter slowly mix with the oil from the greased pan.
• This recipe calls for 1/3 cup of batter in a quarter size sheet pan which is just right to get the noodles thinness that I love. If you are using other proportions, please adjust accordingly.
• Or you can ‘shake’ the batter mixture in the greased pan over the steam. The heat will slowly cook the bottom layer allowing the batter to cover the rest of the pan easily.

I can’t lift up my noodle after it’s steamed – I brush a thin layer of oil on the pan even on a non-stick pan, then add the batter before steaming. Apply another thin layer of oil at the top and let the noodle cool completely before lifting it.

The side of the noodles curl up after it’s steamed – this could be a few reasons; 1. too much oil was added to the pan, you’ll only need a thin layer of oil, and 2. the batter is too thin.

This Curry Chee Cheong Fun is

• Homemade
• Gluten-Free
• Vegan
• Spicy
• Easily Customizable
• Flavorful
• ..and TASTY!!

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!

Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.