Traditional Fried Rice Vermicelli/Bee Hoon (Chow Mai Fun) by Natasha Lim:
I grew up indulging Fried Bee Hoon every Sunday morning for brunch without fail. This simple comfort food made by my mom always keeps me filled up and wanting more. I've tried to replicate my mom's Fried Bee Hoon and I was glad it turned out just as delicious! Try this recipe and you will be finding yourself scooping for extra serving from the wok. The key to this dish is lots of wok hei (the wok breath).
Ingredients:
200g of Rice Vermicelli (soaked in lukewarm water for 10 minutes and drain water after)
6 pcs of Dried Shitake Mushrooms (soaked in warm water until soft and remove stems after. ** Do Not drain the water as we will use it to coat the noodles later)
Green Vegetables like Choy Sum, Bak Choy, etc.
8 pcs Shrimps (de-shelled, deveined and marinated with 1/2 tsp of brown sugar)
6 slices of Fish Cakes
1 1/2 tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil/Olive oil/Canola oil/Peanut Canola Oil
1 tsp shallot oil
1 tsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp thick black sauce
2 tbsp of chicken stock powder diluted with enough water
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fried Shallots for garnishing
Method:
i) Heat up the wok on the stove; add the oil and minced garlic. Stir fry until it turns slightly golden brown and fragrant. Add the shrimps and fish cakes; avoid overcooking the shrimp and stir fry for about 3 minutes until the shrimps are crunchy and cooked. Dish up into a plate and set aside.
ii) Add a little bit of oil again into the wok and stir fry the rice vermicelli. Add 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp of the chicken stock and 1 tsp thick black sauce. Stir until the noodles are well-coated with the seasonings. If the noodles turns slightly dry, turn the flame down and pour in the mushroom stock saved from earlier little by little. If the mushroom stock is poured all at one go, the noodles will turn soggy.
iii) When the noodles are ready, add the shrimps and fish cakes as well as the vegetables. Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the stove and drizzle a bit of shallot oil on the noodles.
iv) Garnish with fried shallots and serve while it's hot and fragrant. =)
