← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 40 g dried anchovies (ikan bilis), heads and guts removed, rinsed
• 1.8 l Water
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 slices Ginger
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ tsp White pepper
• 24 Fish balls
• 200 g Fried fish cake, sliced
• 400 g fresh flat egg noodles (mee pok) or rice vermicelli
• 200 g choy sum or lettuce, cut into lengths
• 4 cloves Garlic, finely chopped and fried golden in 2 tbsp oil
• 2 Spring onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp Crispy fried shallots
• 2 Red chilli, sliced
• 3 tbsp white vinegar

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pot and fry the ikan bilis and ginger over medium heat for 2–3 min until lightly golden. Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 min. Strain and return the clear broth to the pot.
2. Season the broth with the soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix the sliced chilli and vinegar in a small dish.
3. Add the fish balls to the simmering broth and cook for 4–5 min until they float and puff slightly. Add the fish cake for the last minute.
4. Meanwhile, blanch the noodles in a separate pot of boiling water for 30–60 seconds until just tender, and the greens for 1 minute. Drain well.
5. Divide the noodles and greens between bowls, ladle over the hot broth with fish balls and fish cake, and finish with fried garlic and its oil, spring onion and crispy shallots. Serve with the chilli-vinegar.

Tips

• For a "dry" version, toss the noodles with garlic oil, a little soy and chilli sauce and serve the fish balls in broth on the side.
• Fish balls and fish cake often contain wheat starch, and the noodles contain wheat and egg; use rice vermicelli and check labels for gluten-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Noob Cook Noob Cook The Woks of Life