Stir-Fried Bee Hoon (Zhau Mai Fun)

We usually have this type of stir-fried bee hoon (rice vermicelli) followed by Red Beans & Lotus Seeds Tong Shui (Sweet Soup). This is the commonly cooked zhau mai fun that one can find at home, economical stalls, parties and so forth. In Restoran Hong Ngek, it's known as Tong San Zhau Mai.

Very easy peasy to cook, soak the bee hoon (I liked Erawan brand from Thailand, the one with the elephant picture on it) for about 10-15 mins and drain them. In a hot wok, heat up some oil, then add in chopped garlic. Fry till fragrant before adding sliced chicken fillets (marinaded with soy sauce, sesame oil and some cornflour). Fry the fillets till cooked before adding shelled prawns. Once the prawns are cooked, add in choy sum.

Once the choy sum turned limp, pour in some water (should be just enough to cover the bee hoon. Add in seasonings like oyster sauce, a few dashes of fish sauce (can omit this), dark sauce sauce, white pepper, some salt (can be omitted if you find the oyster sauce is good enough) and a bit of sugar to bring out the flavour. When you taste at this stage, you might need the liquid to be slightly more salty as adding the bee hoon later will make it flat a bit.

Once the liquid is boiling, add in the bee hoon. Let it cook until almost all liquid is gone. Then start stirring until it's dry and start sticking to the wok. You can continue to fry until it's completely dried up or could dish it up as it is.

Best served with loads of sambal belacan on the side.


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