Planned to buy dried pasta, but vegetables were too expensive. Instead, I picked up Hokkien mee and vermicelli noodles, along with carrots, diced pork, a drumstick, black fungus, and drumettes—which were all on sale. Drumettes were the exciting find!

Hokkien mee is a popular Southeast Asian stir-fried noodle dish with thick yellow noodles, typically served with meat or seafood and vegetables. It provides energy from carbohydrates and protein, with added fiber when made with vegetables like kangkung (water spinach).

Chicken drumettes are smaller wing pieces that connect the body to the wing, while drumsticks are the larger, meatier lower part of the leg.

Chicken drumette is nutrient-dense, rich in B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B9, B12), vitamins A, D, E, and K, plus essential minerals including phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and selenium. Chicken is also nearly carbohydrate-free, making it an excellent protein source. Serve drumettes as a finger food with rice and vegetables, or enjoy them as a standalone appetizer.

My dinner is colourful, comforting, and delicious. Let’s cook!!!

Ingredients

Fried drumettes

3 kg drumettes
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1-2 eggs, depending on how much drumettes
2 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs all purpose flour
oil (for frying)

Fried egg vermicelli noodles

225 g Hokkien noodles
4 blocks vermicelli noodles
120 g dried thinly cut black fungus, soaked in hot boiling water
6 cabbage leaves, cut to bite sized
2 carrot, cut julienned
2 Tsp garlic minced
oil

Sauce

1 chicken drumsticks, for flavouring stock
1 c chicken stock
1 Tbs oyster Sauce
1 Tsp light soy sauce
1 Tsp dark soy sauce
2-3 Tbs black fungus liquid
2 dashes of pepper, extra
1 Tsp salt, extra
1/2 Tbs cornflour
1 1/2 Tbs water
1/2 Tsp sesame oil

Pork and marinade

125 g diced pork
1/4 Tbs Shoa Xing, Chinese cooking wine
1/4 Tsp soy sauce
1/4 Tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 Tsp fish sauce (OPT)

Method

Fried drumettes

Clean drumettes and pat dry with paper towels. Combine drumettes, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix everything until drumettes are well-coated. Marinade for 2-3 hours in the fridge.

Pork and marinade

Meantime, add pork and marinade into a bowl and mix well, then cling wrap and refrigerate for later about 30 minutes.

Sauce

Bring drumstick, ginger, sauces, sesame oil, salt and pepper and stock up to a simmer, make sure chicken is cooked about 20-25 minutes. Check seasoning. Once stock and chicken done, removed chicken onto a plate to cool and keep for another dish.

Fried egg vermicelli noodles

Soak the rice vermicelli in warm water for 30 minutes or until they turn soft. Drain vermicelli and put in a bowl. Set aside. Blanch Hokkien noodles in stock for about 3 minutes, turn off heat. Drain and set aside keep warm. Then add corn flour to 1 1/2 Tbs water in a bowl and mix well, making sure there are no lumps. Set aside.

Heat up 1 Tbs oil in the wok and fry garlic until golden brown. Next add the carrots and fry for a minute. Then add Chinese cabbage, and black fungus; stir fry for another 1 -2 minutes until slightly softened. Transfer to a plate. 

Next add another 1 Tbs of oil into the wok over high heat, add pork with the marinade in until cooked and pour in about 2 ladles chicken stock. Once cooked, pour corn flour mixture into the chicken stock and simmer until the gravy thickens. Pour back carrots, Chinese cabbage, black fungus and Hokkien noodles and stir well to warm up again. Next add vermicelli and stir toss for about 2 minutes or until noodles turn soft and not wet. Check the seasoning. Switched off the hob. Set aside.

Fried drumettes

By now drumettes had been marinade for about 2-3 hours, bring out drumettes to room temperature. When it has come to room temperature, add egg, cornstarch and flour and mix again until drumettes are coated. Next heat up a deep-frying pan about 2/3 of the way up with oil. After marinating, there will be liquid in the bowl, be sure to mix them completely again. Drumettes should be well coated with a thin batter-like coating. If it still looks too watery, add a bit more cornstarch and flour.

Drop drumettes in gently small batches into the oil and deep. Fry drumettes until crispy and golden brown (the inside should cook thoroughly but remains juicy). Using a slotted spoon lift up a piece of drumette cut a small slit to check if it’s cooked through for each batch. Then spoon out fried drumettes in batches on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. When it not oily anymore plate up onto serving plate.

If noodles are cold, spoon enough onto bowl and microwave for 1- 1 1/2 minutes. Serve fried drumettes immediately with egg and vermicelli noodles and a glass of of white wine. Enjoy!!!

Note: I prefer to refrigerate marinated pork until ready to be cooked to give pork a crunchier texture as well as absorb the marinade. You can set it aside on bench top. You can soak black fungus in hot water for 20 minutes.

You can use dried shiitake mushrooms and cut yourself into thin slices. When the remaining stock has cool down. Transfer to a container and keep in fridge or if you like in freezer. I keep in fridge about 3 days.

You can use wings, thigh fillets, or diced chicken breast as popcorns. You can add fish sauce instead of salt, sugar to balance the flavour. I prefer it to be simple. Use 1 large egg only; you may want more egg just add another small egg. This dependent on individual preferences.

https://helenscchin.com/2020/09/08/egg-and-vermicelli-noodles-with-drumettes/

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