Kway teow are rice noodles about ½-in (1-cm) wide and cut from a rolled-up slab of fresh rice-noodle sheets. Slabs of this kind are usually available in the refrigerators of Southeast Asian food stores.

1 lb (500 g) cockles or baby clams

1 lb (500 g) wide rice flat noodles

3-4 red chilies, sliced, or to taste

3 cloves garlic, sliced

2-3 tablespoons oil

4 oz (125 g) skirt steak, sliced thin or shredded pork (optional)

7 oz (200 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined

Pinch of sugar (optional)

1-2 tablespoons light soy sauce

7 oz (200 g) bean sprouts, washed and trimmed

½ bunch of Chinese leeks or garlic chives, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, or Javanese soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Pour boiling water over the cockles until they open, then drain them immediately. Remove the meat from the shells and ser it aside. Unravel the noodles. Grind the chilies and garlic to a rough paste. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the paste until it is fragrant. Add the meat and stir-fry until it is cooked, then add the shrimp and stir-fry until they changer color. Add a pinch of sugar and the light soy sauce and mix well. Add the noodles and stir-fry until mixed and coated with oil. Add the bean sprouts, Chinese leeks and the dark soy sauce and toss well, until the noodle are heated and everything is cooked and mixed. If you wish, add more dark soy sauce and/or a splash of water. Add the cockles last and stir-fry for about half a minute. Serve immediately.