Rosheen Kaul’s hokkien hae mee (pork and prawn noodle soup)
This is a classic breakfast dish in Singapore and Malaysia, known simply as prawn mee in Singapore, but as hae mee or har mee in Penang. This noodle dish is all about the broth. Rich and heady with deep depths of prawn flavour, shimmering orange from the prawn oil.
Dried prawns and anchovies are easy to find, often in the refrigerated section of Asian grocers, along with fried shallots and sambal chilli. Adding vegetables such as water spinach and bean sprouts is not uncommon either.
Ingredients
1kg pork rib bones, blanched in hot water and washed
2 star anise
4cm ginger, skin-on and sliced thickly
300g pork belly
½ cup vegetable oil
500g prawn heads and shells
½ cup dried prawns
¼ cup fried shallots
2 tbsp sambal chilli
¼ cup dried anchovies
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
fish sauce, to taste
To assemble
12 prawns, peeled, shells and heads retained for broth
400g hokkien yellow noodles, blanched
100g thin rice vermicelli, soaked in hot water and strained
cooked pork ribs and belly, sliced thinly
crispy fried shallots
sambal chilli
Method
Step 1
Bring 6 litres of water to the boil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot with the pork rib bones, star anise, ginger and pork belly. Simmer for 1½ hours until the meat is tender, then remove the pork belly and bones and set aside.
Step 2
In a separate large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the vegetable oil over high heat and saute the prawn heads and shells and dried prawns until they turn a deep orange colour. Add the fried shallots and sambal chilli and saute for 3-4 more minutes, then strain the pork broth from earlier into the pot along with the dried anchovies.
Step 3
Bring to the boil, then use a stick blender to blitz the prawn shells into the stock. Simmer for 30-35 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises to the top, and you’re left with at least 4 litres of stock. Season with sugar, bouillon powder and fish sauce, then strain using a fine sieve. Ideally, this stock is left overnight to steep and strained the next day.
Step 4
Bring the strained stock to the boil, then drop the prawns in to cook. Remove and set aside.
Step 5
Divide the yellow hokkien noodles and rice vermicelli into four bowls, top with cooked prawns and sliced pork belly and ribs from the stock. Ladle the soup over the top, then serve with additional crispy shallots and sambal chilli.
Tip: Keep your shells in the freezer every time you have prawns, so they’re in easy reach when you feel like making this delicious prawn broth.
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Rosheen Kaul is head chef of Melbourne's Etta restaurant, author of cookbook, Chinese-ish, and Good Food recipe columnist.
