← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 600 g thick fresh yellow noodles (Hokkien mee)
• 150 g pork fat or fatty pork belly, cut into 1 cm dice
• 200 g lean pork, thinly sliced
• 200 g Prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 150 g Squid, cleaned and cut into rings
• 5 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 200 g cabbage or choy sum, cut into bite-size pieces
• 500 ml chicken or pork stock
• 4 tbsp thick caramel dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ½ tsp White pepper
• 1 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch), mixed with 3 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp sambal belacan (optional)

Method

1. Put the diced pork fat in a cold wok with 2 tbsp water and cook over medium heat for 12–15 min, stirring now and then, until the fat has melted out and the cubes are golden and crisp. Scoop out the crispy lard bits and keep the oil.
2. Rinse the noodles under hot water to loosen them and drain. Mix the dark soy, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and pepper in a cup.
3. Heat 3 tbsp of the lard oil in the wok over high heat. Fry the garlic for 30 seconds, add the sliced pork and stir-fry for 2 min, then add the prawns and squid for 1 minute until just turning opaque.
4. Add the noodles and the sauce mix and toss until every strand is dark and glossy. Pour in the stock, add the cabbage, cover and simmer for 3–4 min so the noodles soak up the flavour.
5. Stir in the cornflour slurry and toss for 1 minute until the sauce thickens and clings to the noodles. It should be saucy, not soupy.
6. Pile onto plates, scatter generously with the crispy lard bits and serve with sambal belacan.

Tips

• Thick caramel dark soy (the treacly kind) gives the signature black colour and sweetness; normal dark soy works but add a little extra sugar.
• Contains wheat, shellfish and pork. Make it lighter by using 3 tbsp oil instead of rendering lard, though you lose the crunchy bits.

Sources

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

Nomadette Marion's Kitchen Rasa Malaysia