Friday, September 11, 2009

Prawn Noodles (Har Mee)

I've been thinking of cooking Har Mee for the longest time but I knew that I needed to save up some prawn shells first. I diligently saved up my prawn shells for about 8 months now and my freezer is getting full from all sorts of stuff I have in my freezer so I finally decided that it is time for me to make my har mee. I found about two half filled grocery bags of prawn shells.


Ingredients

Prawn shells
Chicken or pork bones (optional)
water
Pork and prawns

Seasoning
Salt to taste
Rock Sugar to taste

Method
1. Put shells in a stock pot and add water.

2.Take a handful of prawns and fry it on a with two tablespoon of oil until very fragrant. Add to the rest of the prawn shells and water

3. Boil the stock for about 1.5 hrs

4. When stock is done boiling, strain out the shells/bones.

5. Add prawns, pork and seasoning and bring to boil or until sugar dissolve or until pork and prawns are cooked. Dish out the pork and prawns and put aside until ready to use.

p/s: I knew I had more than enough prawn shells but I added the chicken bone anyway because I had it sitting in my freezer and I'm trying to clear out the freezer.

Chilli oil adapted from here

4–5 tbsp chilli paste (cili boh)
6 shallots pounded
3 cloves garlic pounded
4–5 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt

Method
Heat 4–5 tablespoons of oil and fry pounded shallots, garlic and chilli paste until aromatic. Dish out and set aside for use as chilli oil and paste.

600g fresh yellow noodles
300g rice vermicelli, soaked until soft then drained
250g bean sprouts
200g water convolvulus, plucked into neat sections
Some shallot crisps
Hard boil eggs

To serve, put noodles, rice vermicelli, bean sprouts and water convolvulus into a noodle strainer. Scald in a pot of boiling hot water for a minute then drain off excess water. Place into soup bowls. Top up with the main stock and sliced pork, chilli oil, chilli paste and shallot crisps.



The process is not as difficult as it sounds. I had a lot of free time in between when I made this dish. Honestly I never knew that it was this easy to make har mee. When my prawn stock was done it honestly smelled like har mee in the stalls you get in Malaysia and it taste so good! I cannot believe that I was didn't make this earlier. I do have a lot of prawn stock left hence I frozen about 4 container of them because I am the only one that eats this so I can now have a bowl of har mee anytime my heart desire.

6 comments:

2crazydogs said...

Wah the bowl of har meen really looks like hawker style! Your hubs won't eat har mee? My hubs will eat but only one bowl but I have not cooked it at home tho. We had it when we were in Ipoh. My friend gave me a packet of prawn noodles seasoning, I have yet to try it. Goes to show how much i like to cook! :)

2crazydogs said...

btw, does your hubs complain about the "smell" when you boil the prawn stock?

Sunshine said...

I was kind off freaked out myself with the smell. The smell lingered in the house even when his uncle came over asked me what that smelled was. I opened the windows for quite some time. I don't think he likes that smell but by the time he came back from work the smell was almost gone.
The hubs was going to try but then he ate other stuff. He'll one day..maybe..LOL..he finally tried my Hokkien Mee (I made that again this week) and he didn't mind it.
I have a packet of the prawn mee seasoning too I bought to try but I figured I'll try this first coz I've been saving up shells and want to use it up.I think when you make the stock either make it outdoor or open the windows or when the hubs is not home coz the smell is strong.

2crazydogs said...

Hahahaha I can just imagine the look on his uncle's face! :)

My friend when she was living in a apt, she was frying belachan. Not too long after she started the frying, the doorbell rang and cops were standing at the door wanting to check her house bcoz of the "dead body stench"! I laughed so hard when she told me that. From then on, she has not cooked anything with belachan and if she cook with fish sauce too, all windows opened and fans going full blast!

Charmaine said...

Hi, I came to your blog from Lesley (beachlover). I love har mee too, when I saw your frozen prawn shells, reminded me of mine in the freezer. Like you, I keep those shells until I have enough to make har mee. Yum!

Sunshine said...

Dawn: OMGosh!!Your friend's neighbors called the cops? My first year in my own apartment I fried belachan several times during Summer maybe that time not many people in college town it stunk up my whole apartment but then no one called the cops on me!LOL..Now I think I'll cook it outside like Lesley I don't care if people don't like the smell. I'll try and do it in the morning when everyone is at work maybe.LOL

Charmine:Thanks for stopping by. This is actually my first time saving those shells. I didn't know how much I need and I actually made a HUGE pot of prawn stock. I think is going to take me a long time to finish it (I frozen a bunch of it). I guess when is not convenient to go out and eat a bowl this is the way we got to do it. BTW do you mind me asking where in Aust do you live coz I have relatives in many places :)

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