Prawn Noodles (虾面/Hae Mee) With Pork Ribs

Method23 steps · about 2 hr 30 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Toast the measured 1½ tbsp belachan in a dry pan until aromatic, then cool briefly and crumble or blend into powder for the broth.

   Uses 1½ tbsp belachan (shrimp paste)

2. 2

   Step 2: Rinse the 12 large prawns and separate their heads from the still-shell-on bodies. Keep both refrigerated in separate bowls. Have any optional extra heads and shells ready and refrigerated too.

   Uses 12 large prawns, head and shell-on · Extra prawn heads and shells, optional for richer broth · Clean water, for vegetables/prawns and rinsing blanched ribs

3. 3

   Step 3: Inspect the cleaned pork ribs (1.2 kg), remove any loose bone fragments and keep them refrigerated until blanching.

   Uses 1.2 kg pork ribs

4. 4

   Step 4: Wash and peel the selected half turnip and cut it into large chunks.

   Uses ½ turnip, peeled and cut into chunks · Clean water, for vegetables/prawns and rinsing blanched ribs

5. 5

   Step 5: Trim the bean-sprout (250 g) roots, wash the sprouts thoroughly and drain. Keep them ready for full cooking near serving.

   Uses 250 g bean sprouts · Clean water, for vegetables/prawns and rinsing blanched ribs

6. 6

   Step 6: Wash the kang kong (300 g), discard the fibrous lower stalks and cut the edible leaves and tender stalks into about 4 cm lengths.

   Uses 300 g kang kong (water spinach) · Clean water, for vegetables/prawns and rinsing blanched ribs

7. 7

   Step 7: On a clean board, cut the cleaned 200 g pork fat into small cubes and keep chilled until rendering.

   Uses 200 g pork fat, diced for rendering

8. 8

   Step 8: Wash and slice the fresh red chilies (6) for serving. If wanted, put them into a small dipping bowl with some of the additional light soy sauce; keep this separate from the measured broth soy sauce.

   Uses 6 fresh red chilies, for serving · Clean water, for vegetables/prawns and rinsing blanched ribs · Additional light soy sauce, to taste and for chili dipping

9. 9

   Step 9: Slice the ready fried fish cake (1–2 pieces) thinly and refrigerate. Have the measured 500 g yellow noodles and 300 g kway teow ready for a brief final blanch, following their product preparation directions if needed.

   Uses 1–2 pieces ready fried fish cake · 500 g yellow noodles (mee) · 300 g kway teow (flat rice noodles)

10. 10

    Step 10: Bring the separate rib-blanching water to a boil. Add the chilled ribs from step 3 and blanch for about 7 minutes. Drain and discard the water, rinse off loosened cooked surface clots and clean the pot.

    Drain blanched ribs · 7 minUses Cleaned chilled raw pork ribs · Water, sufficient for blanching pork ribs; discard afterward · Clean water, for vegetables/prawns and rinsing blanched ribs

11. 11

    Step 11: Render the diced pork fat from step 7 in a wok over medium heat, stirring until golden and crisp. Lift the cracklings into a clean bowl and pour the rendered oil into a separate container, leaving only residual oil in the wok. Cool the reserved cracklings and oil promptly and refrigerate if not using immediately. Bring the measured 4½ l fresh broth water to boiling in a separate large pot, ready before starting the garlic and prawn-head fry.

    Uses Chilled diced pork fat · 4½ l water, brought to boiling for broth

12. 12

    Step 12: In the same wok, add the 6 tbsp ready shallot oil to the residual oil from step 11. Add the 3 tsp chopped garlic and fry for about 1 minute while stirring.

    Add prawn heads · 1 minUses Only residual wok oil, excluding separately reserved cracklings and collected oil · 6 tbsp ready shallot oil · 3 tsp chopped garlic

13. 13

    Step 13: Add the reserved prawn heads from step 2 and any selected extra heads/shells to the aromatic garlic/oil from step 12. Stir-fry, pressing gently with the spatula, until dry and aromatic. Keep the separately boiled 4½ l broth water from step 11 ready for the next stage.

    Uses Aromatic garlic and shallot oil · Heads and selected extra shells only, excluding the prawn bodies and rinsing water · All 4½ l boiling water, excluding rendered pork-fat outputs

14. 14

    Step 14: Carefully add the 4½ l boiling broth water from step 13 to the fried heads and aromatics from that step. Return to a boil and boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Strain into the clean pot, discard spent heads and shells and keep the strained broth boiling.

    Strain prawn broth · 10 minUses Fried heads/aromatics and separately heated measured broth water

15. 15

    Step 15: Add the chilled shell-on prawn bodies from step 2 to the strained boiling broth from step 14. Cook for about 3–4 minutes, checking from 3 minutes until fully opaque and pearly. Lift them out, drain, peel and cut in half. Cool promptly and refrigerate while the long rib broth cooks; retain the broth in the pot.

    Check cooked prawns · 3 minUses Liquid only, excluding discarded heads and shells · All twelve bodies only, excluding heads, extra shells and rinsing water

16. 16

    Step 16: Add the belachan powder from step 1, prepared turnip from step 4 and drained blanched ribs from step 10 to the retained prawn broth from step 15. Add the measured 2½ tsp salt, 1 tbsp light soy sauce and ¼ tsp dark soy sauce, plus optional pepper and 10 g rock sugar if wanted. Return to a boil and maintain a steady gentle boil over medium heat for the first 75 minutes, watching the pot; the complete rib-cooking guide is about 90 minutes.

    Add late crispy shallots · 75 minUses Broth only, excluding lifted chilled prawns and their removed shells · Toasted powdered belachan · Edible chunks only, excluding peel and washing water · Ribs only, excluding discarded blanching/rinsing water · 2½ tsp salt, for broth · 1 tbsp light soy sauce, for broth · ¼ tsp dark soy sauce, for broth · A dash ground pepper, optional in broth and for finishing

17. 17

    Step 17: Add the 2–3 tbsp ready crispy shallots to the rib broth from step 16 and continue the steady gentle boil for the final 15 minutes of the approximately 90-minute guide. The ribs must be fully cooked to at least 63°C and tender without falling apart; continue cooking if needed.

    Check tender cooked ribs · 15 minUses Rib and prawn broth after initial cooking · 2–3 tbsp ready crispy shallots, for the last broth simmer

18. 18

    Step 18: Taste the finished broth from step 17 and add optional extra salt, light soy sauce or dark soy sauce only as wanted. Once the ribs are fully cooked, take the pot off the heat for at least 3 minutes before reheating for serving.

    Prepare vegetable blanching · 3 minUses Fully cooked rib broth with late crispy shallots · Additional salt, optional to taste after broth cooking · Additional light soy sauce, to taste and for chili dipping · Additional dark soy sauce, optional to taste

19. 19

    Step 19: Put the prepared sprouts from step 5 into a separate wok with the measured 500 ml room-temperature vegetable/noodle water (500 ml). Bring to a boil, then boil for about 2–3 minutes, checking from 2 minutes until the sprouts are thoroughly cooked and hot throughout. Lift and drain the sprouts, retaining the hot water for the next blanch.

    Check thoroughly cooked sprouts · 2 minUses Sprouts only, excluding roots and washing water · 500 ml water, for vegetables and subsequent noodle blanching

20. 20

    Step 20: Return the retained vegetable water from step 19 to boiling. Add the prepared kang kong from step 6 and blanch for about 1–2 minutes, checking from 1 minute until cooked but still green. Lift and drain it, retaining the boiling water for noodles.

    Check cooked kang kong · 1 minUses Hot water only, excluding lifted cooked sprouts · Edible leaves/stalks only, excluding trims and washing water

21. 21

    Step 21: Return the retained water from step 20 to boiling. Take one serving handful from the prepared yellow-noodle/kway-teow supplies from step 9 and blanch according to their product instructions for a few minutes, until cooked through and hot. Drain into the first serving bowl, keeping the blanching water and remaining noodles for the next bowls.

    Uses Water only, excluding lifted kang kong · One serving handful for the first bowl; keep remaining noodles for repeats, excluding fish cake

22. 22

    Step 22: Reheat the finished rib broth from step 18 to a boil. Reheat the chilled cooked prawns from step 15 and sliced ready fish cake from step 9 in it until thoroughly hot, with held cooked prawns reaching 74°C. Top the first noodle bowl from step 21 with portions of cooked sprouts from step 19, kang kong from step 20, ribs, prawns, fish cake and hot broth. Repeat the noodle blanch and assembly for the other five bowls, keeping unused supplies separate. Serve with the prepared sliced chili dip from step 8.

    Uses Rested finished rib broth · Cooked meat only, excluding reserved broth and shells · Slices only, excluding noodle supplies · First drained noodle bowl, remaining noodle supply and retained blanching water · Sprouts only, excluding retained water · Water spinach only, excluding retained water · Chilies and any chosen dip soy, excluding washing water

23. 23

    Step 23: If wanted, top the assembled bowls from step 22 with some of the reserved cracklings or rendered oil from step 11, additional ready crispy shallots, optional pepper and some of the chili-powder finishing supply. Serve hot. Promptly refrigerate any unused broth, cooked toppings and rendered supplies in suitable containers.

    Uses Finished bowls only, excluding unused noodles and blanching-water reservoir · Optional garnish draw only, excluding oil already used in the wok · Additional ready crispy shallots, optional topping · A dash ground pepper, optional in broth and for finishing · Some of the optional 1 tbsp chili-powder finishing supply