I am glad to learn how to cook Malaysian noodle in my home. I learn from my father; whose hometown is in Kuala Lumpur (KL) where the famous KL Hokkien Mee is. I have to say that I do miss all the hawker’s food in Malaysia.

Every time when my parents and I went back to KL. My cousin brother will pick us up and straight headed to the famous KL Hokkien Mee coffee shop. He will order 3 big plates for us to eat. I really really mean big plate. We will stuff all those delicious noodles. Slurping in the tasty glossy dark sauce with noodles. The sauce is all over my lips even up to my cheeks.

Google: “Hokkien Mee are a type of noodle made from wheat flour and egg yolks, characterised by round yellow strands that are soft and chewy when fresh or crispy and firm when dried”.

KL Hokkien Mee is superb by adding the pork lard or fat, that makes it famous. The more the pork lard the tastier it is and really satisfied my soul. In my KL Hokkien Mee, I didn’t have that pork lard. I know I can make it use a piece of pork belly with a good layer of fat on the top.

Even my dad also omitted the pork lard. I admit that I was a little surprised without the pork lard, my KL Hokkien Mee did turns out absolutely the same tasty glossy sauce and I am excited to finally wanting to share it with everyone.

It sure is satisfying, delicious really really dark colour, flavoured with all the dark sauces. Every KL person will know about it. Thank you, dad for showing and teaching me how to cook your favourite and mine too. Let’s cook!!!!

Ingredients

Marinade pork

300 g sliced pork
1 Tbs Shoa Xing, Chinese cooking wine
2 Tbs dark black caramelised soy sauce (kicap manis)
2 Tbs oyster sauce
1 1/2 Tsp soy sauce
1 Tsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tsp fish sauce
1 Tsp sugar (OPT)
1 Tbs oil to cook

Noodles and vegetables with sauces

350-400 g Hokkien noodles
3 blocks vermicelli
2 handful fresh bean sprouts
10 Chinese cabbage, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
200 g thinly sliced fish cakes
200 g thinly sliced pork balls
2 Tsp garlic minced
1 c chicken stock, boil till hot
3 Tbs oyster sauce
2 Tbs matured black vinegar, (OPT)
1 1/2 Tsp light soy sauce, plus 2 Tbs to marinade vermicelli
1 1/2 Tsp dark soy sauce, plus 1/2 Tsp to marinade vermicelli
4 Tbs dark black caramelised soy sauce (kicap manis)
1 Tsp salt, extra
1 Tsp white pepper, extra
2 1/2 Tbs cornflour
6 Tbs water
1 1/2 Tsp sesame oil
oil for frying
salt
pepper

Method

Mix pork and marinade ingredients and set aside overnight. The next day prepare other ingredients.

Soak the rice vermicelli in warm water for 30 minutes or until they turn soft. Drain vermicelli and put in a bowl. Reserved the drain vermicelli water to clean/rinse bean sprouts and set aside to drain. Mix the sauces for vermicelli marinade then pour into vermicelli, toss to mix well. Set aside.

Blanch Hokkien noodles in stock for about 3 minutes, turn off heat. Drain dry noodles and set aside keep warm. Then add corn flour to water in a bowl and mix well, making sure there are no lumps. Set aside.

Heat a Tbs oil in a wok over high heat. Then add 1 Tsp garlic, fry for about 15 seconds. Next add pork and 1/8 ladle of chicken stock stir fry until browned. Turn down heat, remove the pork from the wok and set aside. Add 2 Tbs oil and sesame oil to the wok and fry 2 Tsp garlic for about 30 seconds on medium heat.

Add cabbage, fish cakes, pork balls and a little bit of stock until soften for about 3 minutes. Now add noodles and vermicelli with oyster, light soy, dark soy, dark black caramelised soy sauces, vinegar, a couple of Tbs stock and sugar let it simmer about 4 minutes. Stir together bean sprouts with both noodles until get an even, dark, really dark colour and cooked through about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If you cannot find Hokkien Mee, substitute with Udon noodles. You don’t want your KL noodles to be too soup. Just enough black really black sauce that you can slurp your noodles in.

You may add more green leafy vegetables such as bok choy or choy sum. If you’re not seeing the black colour you want, add a little more dark soy sauce. You may add a few more drops vinegar right before eating; totally up to you. Or fried shallots and more garlic.

To make it vegetarian meal, omit pork, pork balls, fish cakes and put in more vegetables and mushrooms of your choice. With the remaining stock when cool completely, store in a container and freeze for later. Your stock will be flavourful as it has Hokkien noodles blanch oil in it.

https://helenscchin.com/2020/12/19/kl-hokkien-mee/

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