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How to cook Fishball noodles (mee pok)

Fishball noodles, usually served as mee pok (flat yellow egg noodles) tossed dry in a tangy chilli-vinegar sauce, is a classic Singapore breakfast and supper dish. It comes with springy fishballs, minced pork, fish cake slices, crisp lard bits and a small bowl of clear fishy soup on the side.

Ingredients

For the soup

• 40 g ikan bilis (dried anchovies), heads and guts removed
• 300 g pork bones or pork ribs
• 2 litres water
• 1 tbsp dried sole fish (optional, rinsed)
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp white pepper

For the fishballs, fish cake and minced pork

• 16 pieces fishballs, ready-made from the supermarket or wet market
• 1 piece (about 100 g) fish cake, sliced thinly
• 200 g minced pork
• 1 tsp light soy sauce, for the pork
• 1/2 tsp sugar, for the pork
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil, for the pork
• 1 tsp cornflour, for the pork
• 1/4 tsp white pepper, for the pork

For the noodles and garnish

• 500 g fresh mee pok (flat yellow egg noodles)
• 120 g choy sum or lettuce leaves, washed and cut into 6 cm lengths
• 2 stalks spring onion, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp fried shallots
• 40 g pork lard bits (crispy fried pork fat), or 3 tbsp extra fried shallots
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp cooking oil, for frying the garlic

For the chilli-vinegar sauce (per bowl, multiply by 4)

• 4 tbsp chilli sauce (red chilli blended with garlic, sugar and vinegar), see tip to make your own
• 4 tbsp Chinese black vinegar or Shaoxing-style red vinegar
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 4 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp garlic oil (from frying the garlic)
• 4 tsp lard oil or the oil from the lard bits
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Steps

1. Toast the anchovies4 min
   Rinse the ikan bilis, drain well and pat dry. Dry-fry in a dry pot over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and lightly golden. This removes the raw fishy smell.
2. Simmer the soup40 min
   Add the pork bones, dried sole fish if using, and 2 litres of water to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then skim off the grey scum. Reduce to low and simmer, partly covered, for 40 minutes until the soup tastes savoury and slightly sweet.
3. Fry the garlic oil5 min
   While the soup simmers, heat 4 tbsp oil in a small pan over low heat. Add the chopped garlic and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until pale golden. Remove from the heat immediately, as it keeps browning in the hot oil. Pour garlic and oil into a heatproof bowl.
4. Season the minced pork2 min
   Mix the minced pork with the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, cornflour and white pepper. Stir in one direction with a spoon for 1 minute until the mixture turns sticky. Set aside.
5. Mix the sauce4 min
   In each of 4 serving bowls, combine 1 tbsp chilli sauce, 1 tbsp black vinegar, 1/2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp sugar, 1 tsp garlic oil, 1 tsp lard oil and a few drops of sesame oil. Stir well and taste: it should be sharp, tangy, mildly sweet and spicy. Adjust vinegar or chilli to taste.
6. Strain and season the soup2 min
   Remove and discard the bones and anchovies by straining the soup through a sieve. Return the clear soup to the pot, season with salt and white pepper, and keep it at a gentle simmer.
7. Cook the pork3 min
   Bring a small pot of water to a gentle boil over medium heat. Drop in the seasoned minced pork in small clumps, breaking it apart with a spoon. Cook for 3 minutes until all pink has gone and the meat is firm and cooked through. Scoop out and drain.
8. Heat the fishballs and fish cake4 min
   Simmer the fishballs and sliced fish cake in the hot soup over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the fishballs float and are hot all the way through. Keep warm in the soup.
9. Blanch the greens2 min
   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Blanch the choy sum for 30 to 40 seconds until bright green and just tender. Lift out, drain well and set aside.
10. Cook the noodles4 min
    Loosen the mee pok with your fingers and shake off excess flour. In the same boiling water, cook each portion (125 g) in a wire strainer for 30 to 45 seconds, lifting and dunking to loosen. The noodles should be springy with a slight bite, not soft. Drain very well, shaking off water.
11. Toss the noodles2 min
    Transfer each portion of hot noodles into a bowl with the sauce. Toss with chopsticks for 20 seconds until every strand is coated and glossy.
12. Assemble2 min
    Top each bowl with 4 fishballs, a few slices of fish cake, a quarter of the minced pork and some blanched greens. Sprinkle with spring onion, fried shallots, lard bits and a little fried garlic.
13. Serve
    Ladle the remaining soup into 4 small bowls, add a few fishballs and a pinch of spring onion to each, and serve alongside the noodles. Eat immediately while hot, tossing again before the first bite.

Tips

• To make your own chilli sauce, blend 8 fresh red chillies, 3 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp white vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt until smooth, then simmer for 5 minutes and cool.
• Noodles go soft quickly, so cook them last and toss them in the sauce straight away.
• Shake the noodles very dry after boiling, or the extra water will dilute the sauce.
• Use less ketchup and more vinegar for a sharper flavour, or more ketchup if you prefer it sweeter.
• For a cleaner-tasting soup, keep it just below a boil after the first skimming and do not cover it fully.

Food safety and allergens

Make sure the minced pork is cooked until no pink remains and it is piping hot in the centre. Cool leftover soup and fishballs within 2 hours, refrigerate in airtight containers and eat within 2 days, reheating until steaming hot; do not store dressed noodles.

Contains: egg, fish, sesame, shellfish, soy, wheat

Watch it being made

• FISHBALL NOODLES SOUP //HOMEY FOODKusina ni Amore · 7,009 views · YouTube

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