Ubiquitous in Indonesia, it can be found everywhere in the country, sold by all food vendors from traveling street-hawkers in their carts, warungs, to high-end restaurants. It is one of Indonesian one-dish meal favorite, although street food hawkers commonly sell it together with mie goreng and nasi goreng (fried rice). Kwetiau goreng is also served in Indonesian franchise restaurants such as Es Teler 77.
Its closest analogue probably is char kway teow popular in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. However, it is slightly different, since Indonesian kwetiau goreng usually tastes mildly sweet with generous addition of sweet soy sauce, spicier with addition of sambal chili sauce as condiment, and mostly halal using chicken and beef, and the absence of pork and lard to cater Muslim majority population. However, some Chinese restaurants in Indonesia that serve non-Muslim customers might use pork and lard.
For the Muslim population in Malaysia, char kway teow is often called kwetiau goreng. In fact, the term kwetiau goreng in Malaysia refer to the halal version of char kway teow which prefer beef and chicken while omitting pork and lard.
Origin
Chinese influences is evident in Indonesian food, such as bakmi, mie ayam, pangsit, mie goreng and kwetiau goreng. The dish is derived from Chinese stir-fried shahe fen and believed to have been introduced by Chinese immigrants in Indonesia for centuries. The Chinese first made contact with the Indonesian in the 7th century, and by 1600s Chinese settlements have already sprung up along the coast of Java and Sumatra. With centuries of interactions between the two cultures, resulting the blend of Chinese and local cuisine.
Kwetiau goreng is very similar to Chinese Malaysian and Singaporean char kway teow. However, kwetiau goreng has been more heavily integrated into Indonesian cuisine; for example the application of popular sweet soy sauce that add mild sweetness, stronger flavor, sprinkle of bawang goreng fried shallots, addition of spicy sambal to add spiciness, also might add krupuk topping to add crispy texture, and the absence of pork and lard in favour for shrimp, chicken or beef; to cater for the Muslim majority Indonesians.