This flavourful recipe for Hokkien Mee is a street food classic, loved for its smoky, umami-packed taste and satisfying texture. For extra crunch and added flavour, top the Hokkien Mee with crispy pork lard crackling.
Hokkien Mee Recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons pork lard or vegetable oil
50 g (1¾ oz) pork belly, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
250 g (9 oz) fresh thick Hokkien noodles, separated
2 leaves Chinese (Napa) cabbage, roughly chopped
1 fried fish cake, thinly sliced
240 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) Chicken stock – Recipe here
Crispy pork lard crackling, optional – Recipe here
Prawns
4 large prawns (shrimp)
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon cooking caramel (karamel masakan)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon YumYum or MSG
240 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) water
Method:
In a small bowl, combine the prawns with the bicarbonate of soda, mix well and set aside.
Heat a large wok or frying pan over medium–high heat and add the pork lard or vegetable oil, allowing it to heat up.
Add the pork belly to the wok and stir-fry for about 2–3 minutes until just cooked through. Next, add the finely chopped garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant and lightly golden.
Toss the Hokkien noodles into the wok, stirring to combine with the pork belly and garlic. Then, add the roughly chopped Chinese cabbage and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until the cabbage starts to wilt.
Add the large prawns and the fish cake to the wok, continuing to stir-fry until the prawns turn pink and are cooked through. Pour in all the sauce ingredients and toss everything together to combine.
Turn the heat up to high and add the chicken stock, tossing the noodles until they have absorbed all the sauce. Once everything is well mixed and coated, transfer the Hokkien mee to serving plates or a large platter.
For extra crunch and added flavour, top the dish with crispy pork lard crackling.
This is an edited extract from The Wolf of Wok Street by Vincent Lim, published by Hardie Grant Books. RRP $45 AUD/$50 NZD. Available in stores nationally from the 30th of September. Photography by Alana Dimou.
