Mee Siam

Rated : Absolute yum-in-the-tum



I never knew how much work Mee Siam was. Frankly, I never really cook mihun in big scale before...so I had no idea the amount of arm strength that was required for this! Get ready for the upper body workout!!!!

This is a recipe by Mrs. Lam Geok Soan

600gm rice vermicelli (mihun)
900gm small prawns, shelled and reserve shells and heads
3 fistfuls of beansprouts, rootends removed
115ml oil

Pound/blend together
50-60 dried chillies, softened by water first
300gm shallots
5 x 5 cm piece shrimp paste/belacan

2 tbsp preserved salted soya beans (paste type)
1 coconut, grated and squeezed with 2 3/4 cups water for 3 1/3 coconut milk.
2 tbsp tamarind paste (assam pes) soaked and mashed in 340ml (1 2/3 cupts) water to strain for 340ml tamarind water
1/2 chicken buillion cube
salt and sugar to taste

Garnishing
5 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
2 soya bean cakes, sliced and fried till crisp
Chives
2 green chillies, deseeded and sliced
3 red chillies, deseeded and sliced
15 local limes, halved and deseeded.

Method

a) Prepare Mihun
1. With the reserved shells and head, fry dry them. Pound them and put into 1.5 litre of boiling water. Add 1 tsp salt. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 mins. Strain stock.
2. Bring strained stock to a boil and add Mihun to scald for a minute or two. Drain. Use this inverted bowl method. Prevents the noodle from soaking all the moisture..



b) Prepare Mihun
1. Heat oil in wok. When hot, fry the pounded ingredients till fragrant. Add 1 tbsp grd preserved salted soya beans and fry thoroughly. Stir in 1 tsp sugar. Remove 1/3 of the fried ingredients and set aside.
2. Add 75ml (1/3) coconut milk, 75ml tamarind water and the 1/2 pc chicken buillion cube into the remaining fried ingredients in the wok. Bring to a boil.
3. Include beansprouts and Mihun and stir fry over high heat using a pair of chopsticks and a frying slice till the gravy is absorbed. Lower heat and continue to fry till Mihun is light and fluffy. Remove to a large serving platter.
4. Put 1 tbsp of reserved fried ingredients from (b)(1) and 1 tsp of grd preserved salted soya beans in the wok to stir fry till fragrant. Add prawns and mix thoroughly then add 2 tbsp coconut milk and 1 tbsp tamarind water. Once cooked, arrange prawns over the Mee Siam.

c) Prepare sauce
1. Stir fry the remaining fried ingredients, grd preserved salted soya beans. Add remaining coconut milk, tamarind water and sugar to taste. Allow gravy to simmer for 3-5 minutes. Put in separate bowl to serve with Mee Siam.

Garnish the Mee Siam with sliced hard-boiled eggs, fried soya bean cakes, chives, green and red chillies. Serve with lime halves.

Sedap tak? Sure sedap one!...After so much work..it better be sedap!