Prawn Noodle Soup
Labels: asian food, one dish meals, soups
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Earlier this week, I made Prawn Noodle Soup, or Hae Mee as it is more popularly known. Go into any food court or hawker centre in Singapore, and chances are, there will be a stall selling it.
Out of desperation, I taught myself how to make it last year. Cravings can make one do strange things. It's not as difficult as one might think. The most important thing is to get the freshest prawns available because only then, the soup stock will be sweet. Now, over here, I have a better chance of turning green with fuschia polka dots than find raw prawns with their shells intact. All the prawns sold in supermarkets have been blanched, peeled and deveined. Even if the shells and heads are still intact, they are useless to me as it's already been cooked. Bah!
However, salvation comes in the form of the asian store. They have raw tiger prawns in their frozen section. Well, frozen is better than nothing and they're frozen fresh anyway.
The basis of good Hae Mee is the stock. To make the stock, I first fry the removed heads and shells of the prawns to seal in the juices. Same goes with the pork ribs. After which I dump everything, including a bit of lean pork into a pot of boiling water. Add in the neccessary seasonings and then go away and leave it to work itself out. Okay, I know I make it sound easier than it actually is. In reality, there are alot more steps required but if you have the patience, this popular hawker fare can easily be whipped up in the comfort of your own kitchen. Just be prepared for a strong lingering smell for the next day or so. It really does stink up the kitchen.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 12:44 pm
