Sunday, November 1, 2009

Ban Mian or Mee Hoon Kway or Dough Noodles Soup




This used to be made by my mom when we were in primary school (that was about 20 years ago at least). We've always regarded this as a Xin Hua dish, and we never seen it in the foodcourts until about 5 or six years ago I think. Now, it's as common as fishball noodles soup. It's very simple to do, and thanks to Sylvia who had a craving for this, I satisfied my craving by making it - and only showing her a picture (Förlåt!)

Serves 2
Ingredients
100g plain flour
pinch of salt
cold water
1 egg, beaten and fried
A handful of ikan billies
1 knorr ikan billies stock cube or chicken stock cube
100g minced meat
1 Chinese mushroom, rehydrated
1 bundle of bak choy
1 shallot
1/2 clove of garlic

Steps

  1. First, prepare the dough by mixing it well with the salt, and adding the cold water gradually, until the dough comes together without sticking to your hand. Cover with a damp towel to prevent from drying while you let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Beat up the egg with some salt and pepper and fry it till it turns golden brown. If you prefer to cook it by boiling it in the stock before you serve like in the foodcourt, do that. Shred and set the egg aside.
  3. Continue in the same pot, add more oil if needed to fry the washed ikan billies till its crispy. Take it out and set it aside, throw in the sliced shallots and diced garlic.
  4. When they are fragrant, add in 1.5 bowls of hot water. Bring to boil.
  5. Add in the stems of the bak choy first, as they take a bit longer to cook, then add in the minced pork balls.
  6. The minced pork should be pre-prepared by adding 1 teaspoon of Shaoxing wine, 100ml of ginger infused stock, 1/4 teaspoon of salt,  dash of pepper and diced chinese mushroom. Keep it in the fridge for about half an hour. The loose pork mixture will give you a more tender bite to the minced pork balls.
  7. When the water is boiling, turn down the heat so it is simmering, and take your dough and flatten it into a big disc using both hands. Stretch as thinly as you can before you tear out a bite size dough piece and drop it into the boiling stock. They should cook for about 5-8 minutes. Add in the leaves of the bok choy 1 minute before they are ready. You can add in a raw egg to cook if you prefer at this point too.
  8. When serving, just top it up with the shredded fried egg and ikan billies. Serve with chopped chili padi!

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