Cookbook Challenge W16 (Noodle) Mee Siam

Lontong, mee siam, fried carrot cake and kaya toast are just some of my favourite breakfast that I must have when I am back in Singapore. I will take an early drive to the nearest hawker center for my daily morning fix. It is normal to have something spicy along with a super sweet kopi (coffee with condensed milk) for breakfast. And since I am usually back only for a short visit, I tend to indulge in more than one breakfast a day!

Typical Singaporean breakfast

I went through about 6 cookbooks trying to find something that hit home. I always wanted to make Mee Siam but it does require a fair bit of work. Mister made belachan recently and since there is a stash for me to play with, I thought why not? The recipe may seem a little daunting but I am sure you should be able to find belachan in Asian grocery shop. I am just spoilt since Mister makes really good and spicy ones, I tend to shun away from store bought.

This recipe is taken from Authetic Recipes from Singapore by David Wong.

Mee siam

Sambal belachan – This recipe is taken from the book

Ingredients:

• 10 finger length chillies, deseeded and sliced
• 2tbsp belachan (dried prawn paste), toasted
• 3tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1. Grind all ingredients in a mortar o blend to make s rough paste. Keeps in refrigerator for about a week

Mee siam paste

Ingredients:

Mee Siam sauce

• 5tbsp of dried prawns, soaked in water to soften
• 10 candlenuts, roughly chopped
• 10 or 80g of shallots
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp of belachan (dried prawn paste)
• 5tbsp of oil
• 1/2 cup of unsalted peanuts, roasted and coarsely chopped
• 3tbsp black bean paste
• 6 tbsp of sugar
• 6 tbsp of tamarind pulp mashed with 1 250ml warm water, squeezed and strained for juice
• 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp black soy sauce
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Little fried tofu

Mee Siam

• 30 dried chillies (about 100g), cut into lengths, deseeded and soaked in water to soften
• 3 tbsp oil
• 250g rice vermicelli (beehoon), soaked in cold water to soften
• 2 cups of bean sprouts
• 2 slabs of fried tofu, diced and pan fried till golden brown
• 12 big prawns, boiled for 1 or 2 mins in 4 cups of water. Prawn stock reserved
• 8 quail eggs or 2 hard boiled eggs halved
• Sambal belachan
• 4 limes

Bee hoon stir fried with chilli paste

Method:

1. Grind the dried chillies in a paste and put aside
2. Prepare the mee siam sauce by grinding the dried prawns, candlenuts, shallots, garlic and belachan (add more if you like more heat) in a blender, adding oil if necessary to keep the blades turning
3. Prepare the prawns and quail eggs and set aside
4. Heat the oil over a medium heat and stir fry the paste for about 5 mins. Add the peanuts, black bean paste and sugar and stir fry for another minute. Add the prawn stock, tamarind juice, lemon grass and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Then lower heat and allow it to simmer gently, uncovered for 5 mins. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside
5. Heat the oil and stir fry 3 tbsp of chilli paste for about 1 min. Then add the drained noodles and stir fry to coat the noodles so they take a red colour
6. To serve, divide the noodles into 4 serving bowls. Top the noodles with bean sprouts, fried tofu, prawns and eggs. Ladle the hot sauce over. Place lime halves at the side

Laying out the mee siam

Having sambal belachan made before hand definitely make this whole process a lot easier. It is not definitely not a hard dish to make. It just needs a little more planning and little steps to make the final dish.

Mee Siam

I was quite surprised that Mister never had Mee Siam before. Definitely glad that he likes it and finish the whole bowl faster than me! It is spicy and sour. There is a lot of different textures and flavours in one bowl. A tiny squeeze of the lime juice transforms the dish and making it more alive. It is worth the effort and something that I will make from time to time when I miss my morning bowl of Mee Siam.

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Bri from Bri Eats – Gnocchi and rice noodles from scratch
Yen from Food for Four – Crispy vermicelli noodles
Maree from Melbourne Delectable – Laksa
Kat from Spatula, Spoon and Saturday – Fiery Dan Dan Noodles
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