Is Char Kway Teow Vegetarian? (Shrimp, Sausage & Lard)
Is Char Kway Teow Vegetarian? (Shrimp, Sausage & Lard)
Char kway teow is a smoky stir-fried noodle dish, and the smoke traditionally comes from pork lard. Even a version with no visible meat can be cooked in lard. Here is how to order it vegetarian.
Key Takeaways
- Char kway teow is usually not vegetarian: it is stir-fried with shrimp, Chinese sausage and egg.
- It is traditionally cooked in pork lard, which is the hidden animal fat.
- A “no shrimp” version can still be lard-fried.
- Ask for no shrimp, no sausage, no egg, and cooked in vegetable oil.
TL;DR: Char kway teow is usually not vegetarian. It’s stir-fried flat rice noodles with shrimp, Chinese sausage, egg and bean sprouts: traditionally cooked in pork lard. A vegetarian version (no shrimp/sausage/egg, no lard) exists.
What’s in it
- Flat rice noodles: vegan.
- Shrimp: not vegetarian.
- Chinese sausage (lap cheong): pork.
- Egg: vegetarian, not vegan.
- Pork lard: the traditional frying fat.
- Bean sprouts, chives: vegetarian.
The “wok hei” (smoky flavor) is traditionally achieved with lard, which is why even a “seafood- free” version can still be non-veg.
How to order it vegetarian
Ask for no shrimp, no sausage, no egg and cooked in vegetable oil (no lard). Many Malaysian/Singaporean hawker stalls and Buddhist-vegetarian eateries make a fully vegetarian version.
The bottom line
- Vegetarian? Only the made-veg version (no shrimp/sausage, oil not lard).
- Vegan? Same, minus the egg.
See our Char Kway Teow dish guide for the full breakdown.
Check before you eat. The Verify Veg app scans a barcode or reads an ingredient list from a photo and flags ingredients against your diet (vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Jain and more). Download on the App Store - Android is coming soon.
Written by Samir Narain, founder of Verify Veg. Verify Veg helps people check packaged food against their diet by scanning barcodes and reading ingredient lists from photos.
Note: Verify Veg provides ingredient-based compatibility checks, not certification. Recipes and preparations vary by restaurant, region and cook, so always confirm with the restaurant, brand or vendor.