Fried Hokkien Mee (Prawn noodles)

I learnt a lot from this. And I will respect our hawker chefs every more.

One of the tricks to good Fried Hokkien Mee, I think, is fried prawn heads and shells. Heads and shells, fried till crisp, then made into a stock, boosted with some pork or chicken bones.

Another thing which I did do, was to pre-fry the noodles, which gives better wok hei.

I just wanted to try this, because there is something magical about tossing all that egg and noodle into the wok, swirling in the stock, and getting lost in that cloud of steam. But this is post also to prove a point. We should really celebrate our hawker dishes, support our hawker chefs. At least, we should be willing to pay as much for Hokkien Mee as we will for pasta with prawns! (Or, we really should pay less for pasta!)

The range of Fried Hokkien Mee does cover a wide spectrum. This is my interpretation. My recipe here takes some liberties with plating and execution, but if you manage to pull this off for a dinner party, I think you can make some friends. And oh, I skipped the squid.

The ingredients

The essentials

• Prawns  (See text for quantity, and type)
• Some chicken or pork bones
• Flat Yellow Noodles (About 75 g per head)
• Course Bee Hoon (Rice Vermicelli, about 75 g per head)
• Garlic
• Spring Onions and Chilli

Now, how much prawns do you need?

This is an interesting question. Lots, cause its best to have more prawns that you actually need to serve the dish. I used 500 g of prawns to for two servings, cause I wanted lots of heads and shell. So what I did was this : reserve a few prawns, and leave their heads on.  These are the ones you serve with as they look pretty on the plate. Shell the rest, fry up their heads and shells, and use their shells for stock. Reserve the prawn meat for like…… pasta with prawns and garlic. Dont worry. Shelled prawns keep well, and don’t suffer from freezing.

Fry the prawn heads, and make stock, adding some bones if you like.

Portion out the noodles and bee hoon and pre-fry them. I did this in a well-oiled non-stick pan, tossing often

Set the fried noodles aside. Prepare beaten eggs (one for each diner), mince some garlic.

Breathe. If you have done the mise, it takes only a short time to cook. If you are hosting, this is a fun recipe to do.

Cooking 

Take a trusty, heavy wok, heat it up, and oil it well. The oil should be simmering.

The egg goes in first. I like my noodles with visible pieces of well-fried egg, so I let it sit a while till a slightly charred base is formed.

The noodles go in next, stir it up well, adding some garlic at the end. Since the noodles are pre-fried, I don’t take too long with this step.

Now, for the grand moment. Adding in some stock! There should follow, a magic cloud of aroma.

Let it simmer a bit, covering for a minute or so. The noodles need a little time to absorb the glorious stock. If things look too dry, add more stock, or water.

I sautéed the prawns separately, and not with the noodles, because it plates better, and I really like a crust on my prawns. For this to happen, they must be cooked separately under high heat.

I reserved some prawns with the heads on, as I had “extra” heads for my stock. This is purely optional, headless prawns are fine!

When the prawns are done, its time to assemble. I think the prawns look great this way, whole, and on top of it all.

I think Hokkien Mee and a Pouilly-Fume  are a match made in heaven. Think about it. The Mee is smoky with wok hei. The smoky sauvignon blanc just feels prefect, it matches the smokiness while the varietal characteristics of the grape lift the prawns to greater heights. Now, the places that do good Hokkien Mee, generally won’t have a Pouilly-Fume on hand. Another reason to try this at home.

Try! It’s not a two minute recipe, but is not too hard. It is, for me, definitely more effort than pasta with sautéed prawns. Something for us to take about……