Here is a little background on today's recipe on Dry Mee Siam.
Mee Siam essentially means "Siamese noodle" in Malay and it is a dish of thin rice vermicelli that is well known and popular in both Singapore and Malaysia. It is said to have originated either from the Malay and Peranakan communities, however this is hard to discern as many Peranakan dishes are of Malay origin. As the name suggests, it is inspired or adapted from Thai flavours.
In Singapore, Mee Siam is a wet version served with a spicy, sweet and sour light gravy. The gravy is made from a rempah spice paste, tamarind and taucheo (salted soy bean). It is typically garnished with hard boiled eggs, tau pok, bean sprouts, garlic chives, and lime wedges. In Malaysia a dry version is more commonly found, which is essentially stir frying the rice noodles with the same ingredients used in the Singaporean version and this dish is great both wet or dry!
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
500g Thin Rice Vermicelli, Soak in hot water till soft
500g Fresh Medium Sized Prawns, Peeled and deveined
200g Bean Sprouts
100g Chives, Cut into 2" length
4 Eggs
2 Tau Kwa/Firm Tofu
Aromatic Paste
50g Dried Shrimps, soak in hot water till soft
20 Dried Red Chillies, soak in hot water till soft
10 Fresh Red Chillies
20 Shallots
5 Garlic Cloves
1 piece 1" x 1" Belachan, toast in the toaster at 125 Degrees Celsius for about 8 minutes
Seasoning
2 Tbsp Assam/Tamarind Pulp, mixed well with 1/4 cup of hot water, strained and keep the liquid
4-5 Tbsp Sugar
2 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Tbsp Tau Cheo/Salted Soy Beans
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
Salt to taste
Garnish
Coriander, Roughly Chopped
Calamansi Limes, Halved
2 Red Chillies, Finely Sliced
Omelette Strips
Fried Shallots
Method
Blend every ingredient for the aromatic paste till smooth and set aside.
Cut the tau kwa/firm tofu into thin pieces (1" x 2") and fry till light golden colour. Set aside.
Beat the eggs up well and fry into 4 omelettes. Cut them into thin strips for garnish. Set aside.
In a big wok, heat up about 3 Tbsp of cooking oil and fry the aromatic paste over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir continuously as aromatic paste tends to burn easily.
Now, add in the assam/tamarind liquid, chicken stock, tau cheo and sugar. Stir well and let the broth come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Taste and season with salt, fish sauce and more sugar if needed.
Add in the prawns and tau kwa. Let the prawns cook and once they have turned pink, add in the thin rice vermicelli, allow the noodles to soak up the broth and use the spatula and a pair of tongs to help mix everything evenly.
Next, add in the chives and bean sprouts. Allow the vegetables to cook for about 4-5 minutes.
Plate up and garnish with the chopped coriander, fried shallots, red chillies, omelette strips and halved calamansi limes.
Just before eating, squeeze 1 calamansi lime, mix well with the noodles and savour the dish.
Author's Notes
Always remember to taste and season according to your taste before you add the rice vermicelli.
Recipes serve as a guide, it is not an absolute, so adjust seasonings to your preference.
If you cannot find calamansi limes, regular limes work fine as well.