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How to cook Hokkien prawn mee

Hokkien prawn mee is a Singapore wok-fried noodle dish of yellow noodles and thin rice vermicelli simmered in a rich prawn-and-pork stock until the noodles absorb it, finished with egg, squid, prawns and a squeeze of lime. It is served with sambal chilli on the side.

Ingredients

For the prawn stock

• 300 g medium prawns, shell-on and heads on (about 16 prawns)
• 300 g pork ribs or pork bones
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp (hae bee), rinsed
• 2 tbsp cooking oil, for frying the shells
• 2 litres water
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp white pepper

For the noodles and seafood

• 400 g fresh yellow Hokkien noodles
• 150 g thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon)
• 200 g squid, cleaned, body scored and sliced into rings or pieces
• 150 g lean pork belly or pork loin, thinly sliced
• 4 eggs
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 150 g bean sprouts, tails trimmed
• 100 g kangkong or chye sim, cut into 5 cm lengths (optional)
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp sugar

For the sambal chilli

• 8 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
• 2 bird's eye chillies (optional, for more heat)
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp (hae bee), soaked and drained
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 2 tbsp water, or juice of 1 lime

To serve

• 4 limes, halved
• 2 tbsp fried shallots (optional)
• 2 spring onions, sliced (optional)

Steps

1. Prep the prawns10 min
   Peel the prawns, keeping the tails on if you like. Set the heads and shells aside for the stock. Devein the prawns, rinse and pat dry, then refrigerate until needed.
2. Blanch the pork bones6 min
   Place the pork ribs in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 3 minutes until grey scum rises, then drain and rinse the bones under running water.
3. Fry the prawn shells5 min
   Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the prawn heads and shells and the rinsed dried shrimp. Stir and press the heads with your spoon for 4 to 5 minutes until the shells turn bright orange and smell fragrant and the oil turns orange.
4. Simmer the stock45 min
   Add the blanched pork bones and 2 litres of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes. Skim off any foam as it rises. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp white pepper.
5. Strain the stock5 min
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot, pressing the shells to extract all the liquid. You should have about 1.2 litres of deep orange stock. Keep it hot over low heat.
6. Make the sambal8 min
   While the stock simmers, toast the belacan in a dry pan over medium heat for 1 minute until crumbly and fragrant. Blend the chillies, shallots, garlic, belacan and drained dried shrimp into a coarse paste, adding a splash of water if needed.
7. Cook the sambal10 min
   Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the paste, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes until the raw smell is gone and the oil separates and turns red. Stir in the sugar, salt and tamarind or lime juice, taste, and adjust. Cool and transfer to a small bowl.
8. Cook the prawns and squid4 min
   Bring a small pot of the hot stock to a simmer. Poach the peeled prawns for 1 to 2 minutes until pink and curled, then lift out. Poach the squid for 30 to 45 seconds until just opaque and curled. Set both aside, and return the poaching liquid to the main stock.
9. Soften the vermicelli6 min
   Soak the rice vermicelli in hot tap water for 5 minutes until just pliable, then drain. Rinse the yellow noodles briefly under hot water and drain well to loosen the strands and remove excess oil.
10. Fry the aromatics and pork3 min
    Heat a large wok over high heat until smoking, then add 3 tbsp oil. Fry the garlic for 15 seconds until golden. Add the sliced pork and stir-fry for 2 minutes until no longer pink.
11. Add the egg1 min
    Push the pork to one side. Crack in the eggs and let them set for 10 seconds, then scramble roughly into large curds and mix with the pork.
12. Add noodles and stock2 min
    Add the yellow noodles and vermicelli. Pour in 400 ml of the hot stock, plus the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and pepper. Toss over high heat for 1 minute.
13. Simmer until absorbed5 min
    Cover the wok and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, tossing once, until the noodles have swelled and absorbed most of the liquid. If the noodles still taste firm, add another 100 ml of stock and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
14. Add vegetables and seafood2 min
    Add the bean sprouts, kangkong, prawns and squid. Toss over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the sprouts just wilt but stay crunchy and the noodles look glossy and moist, not soupy. Taste and adjust with salt or soy.
15. Plate and serve
    Divide among four plates. Top with fried shallots and spring onions, and serve at once with lime halves and sambal on the side.

Tips

• Frying the prawn heads and shells until the oil turns orange is what gives the stock its depth, so do not skip it.
• Keep the stock hot while frying so the noodles absorb it quickly and cook evenly.
• Use a very hot wok and avoid overcrowding it; cook in two batches if your wok is small.
• Do not add the prawns and squid early, as they turn rubbery within a couple of minutes.
• The sambal keeps well, so make extra; adjust the amount of bird's eye chilli to your heat tolerance.

Food safety and allergens

Make sure prawns are pink and curled, squid is opaque and pork has no pink inside before serving. Cool leftovers within 2 hours, refrigerate and eat within 1 day, reheating until piping hot; the stock can be refrigerated up to 2 days.

Contains: egg, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat

Watch it being made

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• SG50 Deliciously Singaporean: Fried Hokkien Prawn MeeMakansutra · 140,489 views · YouTube

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