炒粿条是潮州人的小吃，更是马来西亚槟城潮州人的代表性美食，在马来半岛各处的茶餐室、美食中心或路边摊都可找其踪迹。

炒粿条常见于广东潮汕地区，其做法与广府人的干炒河基本雷同,加入蛋、血蚶、豆芽、腊肠、虾子,黑酱油，炒得色深味浓。在潮汕一带，蚶是钱的象征，有开枝散叶、荣华富贵之意，潮州人习惯将血蚶用开水烫熟，搭配鱼露而食。但在马来半岛的赤道气候中，食物保存不易，加上移居槟城的潮汕人士改变口味，利用家乡惯有的食材，再加上黑酱油及辣椒酱，炒出具有槟城特色的炒粿条。

经过百年的发展，炒粿条流传至马来半岛各地，甚至出现马来人版本的炒粿条，其马来名称也取潮州话的音译：Char Kway Teow，但特色与华人版本有所差异。经过三代华人的流传，从原本潮州风味的“潮州炒粿条”，慢慢简化成符合本土的“炒粿条”，马来半岛各州的炒粿条也开始出现些许差别。吉隆坡的炒粿条时使用的粿条较为细长，在炒制的过程中，也会添加黄面增加口感；槟城人所使用的粿条较为宽厚，主要以酱油和鱼露调味，因此颜色较浅。在霹雳的怡保和金宝一带，甚至将炒粿条名称更换至“炒蚶蛋粉”，彻底融入当地广东人中。

Char kway teow, literally "stir-fried ricecake strips", is a popular noodle dish in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia. The dish is considered a national favourite in Malaysia and Singapore.

It is made from flat rice noodles (河粉 hé fěn in Chinese) or kway teow (粿条 guǒ tiáo in Chinese) of approximately 1 cm or (in the north of Malaysia) about 0.5 cm in width, stir-fried over very high heat with light and dark soy sauce, chilli, a small quantity of belachan, whole prawns, deshelled blood cockles, bean sprouts and chopped Chinese chives. The dish is commonly stir-fried with egg, slices of Chinese sausage and fishcake, and less commonly with other ingredients.Char kway teow is traditionally stir-fried in pork fat, with crisp croutons of pork lard. In Penang, Char kway teow commonly served on a piece of banana leaf on a plate.