Penang Hokkien Mee (Prawn Noodles)

Method13 steps · about 2 hr 40 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Blend the whole red onion (1) and all 4 garlic cloves into a fine paste; reserve it for the sambal. Peel and devein the twenty topping prawns (20) and refrigerate the meat until stage 13.

   Uses 1 red onion(s) · 4 garlic cloves · 20 prawns, peeled and deveined, for the noodle-bowl topping

   
2. 2

   Step 2: Put all 250 grams pork bones in a pot with the separate 1,000 millilitres blanching water. Heat over high heat for about 5–6 minutes until surface scum appears, then lift out and drain the bones. Discard this entire blanching liquid. Continue promptly through the sambal preparation to simmering these bones in the broth at stage 10.

   Blanch pork bones: 5–6 minutes · 6 minUses 1,000 millilitres water for blanching the pork bones; discarded · 250 g pork bones

   
3. 3

   Step 3: In a separate soup pot, heat all ½ cup oil over low heat and fry all six sliced shallots for about 5 minutes, until golden. Lift out and drain the fried shallots for the final topping, leaving the shallot-flavoured oil in the pot.

   Fry shallots: about 5 minutes · 5 minUses 0.5 cup oil · 6 shallot(s)

   
4. 4

   Step 4: In the actual reserved shallot oil, fry all 10 grams dried fermented shrimp paste over low heat for about 1 minute.

   Fry shrimp paste: 1 minute · 1 minUses Reserved shallot-flavoured oil after shallot removal · 10 grams dried fermented shrimp paste (belacan)

   
5. 5

   Step 5: Carefully add the complete blended onion-garlic paste to the shrimp-paste oil and sauté for 30 seconds. Add all ½ cup prepared cili boh chilli paste and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring to prevent scorching.

   Cook chilli paste: 5 minutes after aromatics · 5 minUses Shrimp paste cooked in shallot oil · Complete blended onion-garlic paste · ½ cup prepared cili boh chilli paste

   
6. 6

   Step 6: Stir ½ teaspoon of the salt and 2 tablespoons of the sugar into the chilli mixture. Cook over medium-low heat for another 5 minutes, stirring until the seasonings are incorporated and the chilli paste is fully cooked.

   Cook seasoned sambal: another 5 minutes · 5 minUses Cooked onion-garlic, shrimp-paste and chilli mixture · ½ teaspoon salt for the sambal · 2 tablespoons sugar for the sambal

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Continue only as needed until red oil separates from the cooked sambal. Spoon the sambal into a clean bowl, leaving the separated excess oil in the soup pot for the prawn shells. Reserve the actual sambal batch: stage 12 takes a measured ½ cup; any remainder can accompany the bowls.

   Uses Complete cooked sambal and separated red oil

   
8. 8

   Step 8: Add the separately measured 200 grams prawn heads and shells to the red oil left in the soup pot. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring, until their released moisture evaporates and the flavour concentrates.

   Cook prawn heads and shells: about 5 minutes · 5 minUses Separated red sambal oil left in the soup pot · 200 grams prawn heads and shells for the broth, weighed separately from the peeled topping prawns

   
9. 9

   Step 9: Turn off the heat and add all 500 millilitres blending water to the cooked heads and shells. Coarsely blend in the pot with a heat-safe immersion blender, keeping the hot liquid contained.

   Uses Cooked prawn heads and shells in red sambal oil · 500 millilitres water to blend the cooked prawn heads and shells

   
10. 10

    Step 10: Add all 1,300 millilitres additional broth water and all the drained blanched pork bones. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook at a gentle simmer over medium-low heat for about 60 minutes. Stir occasionally along the bottom; any meat on the bones must be fully cooked before it is used as a topping.

    Simmer prawn-and-pork broth: 60 minutes · 60 minUses Coarsely blended prawn-head broth base · Drained blanched pork bones · 1,300 millilitres additional water for simmering the prawn broth

    
11. 11

    Step 11: Lift out the cooked pork bones. Strain the entire broth through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the prawn-head and shell solids; do not leave shell fragments in the serving broth. If the bones have usable cooked meat, strip it off and discard the bones, reserving the meat for the bowls.

    Uses Complete simmered prawn-and-pork broth with bones

    
12. 12

    Step 12: Return all the strained broth to the pot. Measure ½ cup of the actual cooked sambal from stage 7 into it. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons sugar. Simmer for another 15 minutes and keep the finished soup hot for assembly.

    Simmer seasoned sambal broth: 15 minutes · 15 minUses Complete strained prawn-and-pork broth · ½ cup actual cooked sambal for the broth · Remaining 2 teaspoons salt for the broth · Remaining 2 tablespoons sugar for the broth

    
13. 13

    Step 13: Bring separate topping and noodle water to a boil. Cook all 100 grams bean sprouts thoroughly and blanch all 100 grams water spinach until cooked, then drain. Cook the two fish cakes and twenty chilled peeled prawns for about 3–4 minutes, continuing as needed until the fish cakes are fully cooked and the prawn centres are opaque and firm. Separately boil all four eggs for at least 6 minutes and continue until their whites and yolks are firm; peel and halve. Prepare all 200 grams yellow noodles and 100 grams rice vermicelli according to their packages, hydrating first if required. Fresh or hydrated noodles may need about 2–3 minutes, depending on the product. Drain and divide the noodles among four bowls. Add the hot finished broth, all cooked toppings, fried shallots and any recovered cooked pork. Offer additional cooked sambal if desired; refrigerate unused sambal promptly.

    Uses Separate water for cooking the toppings and noodles and any noodle hydration; total quantity unspecified · 100 g bean sprouts · 100 g Chinese water spinach · 2 fish cake · Complete chilled peeled topping-prawn meat · 4 egg(s) · 200 g yellow noodles · 100 g rice vermicelli noodles