Fried Henghua Beehoon

I can't remember when was the last time I cooked this dish.  I was walking and browsing through the aisle of one famous supermarket recently.  Suddenly the packages of this Hsinhua rice vermicelli was sort-of looking right at me!  This reminds me that I haven't cook this dish for a long time!  So, grab hold of a packet and here comes our family's favorite fried Henghua Beehoon...

 

To get the full recipe click the link here.

Singapore Rice Vermicelli

 

Ingredients:

1 piece dried rice vermicelli (soaked and drained)

For the sauce:

1 1/2 tbsp. curry powder (I use watch brand)

1/4 tsp. ground white pepper

Dashes of chicken stock granules (to taste)

1/4 tsp. granulated sugar

3/4 tbsp. light soy sauce

For the egg:

1/2 tbsp. cooking oil

1 egg (beaten)

For the proteins:

1/2 tbsp. cooking oil

6-8 pieces prawns (shelled and deveined)

1 fish cake (sliced)

2 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)

Pinch of chicken stock granules

Pinch of white pepper

For stir-frying:

1 tbsp. cooking oil

1/2 onion (peeled and thinly sliced)

1/2 carrot (peeled and cut into strips)

4 sprigs of chye sim (washed and cut into bite sizes - separate stems from leaves)

Dashes of water

Methods:

1. To stir-fry the egg, in a hot pan, add oil.  Pour in the egg and scrambled for about 30 seconds.  Scoop out into a plate and set aside.
2. To cook the protein, in the same pan, add oil, saute garlic, then add in the prawns and stir fry until the prawns turn pink. Add in the fish cake, season with chicken stock granules and pepper, and stir fry until well combined. Scoop out and set aside.
3. To cook everything together, in the same pan, add cooking oil. When the pan is hot, add in onion, carrot, stems of chye sim, rice vermicelli, curry powder, pepper, chicken stock granules and sugar.  Stir-fry over high heat until evenly distributed.  Then add in chye sim leaves, dashes of water and light soy sauce and continue to stir-fry until well combined. Taste for correct seasoning, add a bit more chicken stock granules as needed. Return the prawns and eggs.  Stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
4. Remove from heat into a serving dish and serve!

I adapted this recipe from 'cicili.tv' with some adjustment to suit my cooking preference.

Singapore Rice Vermicelli/Beehoon

 

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

6 oz. rice vermicelli (boiled until al dente and drained)

4 oz. pork belly (remove skin and thinly sliced)

1/2 tsp. cornflour

2 tbsp. cooking oil

2 garlic cloves (chopped)

1/2 onion (thinly sliced)

1/2 cup prawns (peeled and deveined)

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

3 sprigs spring onion (cut into 2" length)

Sauce: (Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside)

1 tbsp. oyster sauce

1 1/2 tbsp. curry powder

1 1/2 tbsp. light soy sauce

1/2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup water

Methods:

1. Coat pork belly with cornflour.  Set aside for later use.
2. In a medium-high heated wok add cooking oil.  Add  pork belly slices and stir -fry for about 2 minutes.  (If you are using chicken, you do not need to fry the chicken first, instead add chicken after you saute the onion and garlic, as pork belly needs more cooking time).  Push the pork belly to the side of the wok, saute onion and garlic until aromatic.  Return the pork belly and add in prawns, stir-fry until it changes colour.  Add in rice vermicelli, stir to combine well with all the other ingredients for 1 minute.  Push noodles to one side, add eggs and let cook 1 minute.  Fold noodles over the egg and add sauce and spring onions.  Stir continuously until everything is well combined.
3. Dish into a serving plate.  Serve with pickled chilies.

This recipe is adapted from 'rasamalaysia.com' with slight adjustments to suit my cooking preference.

Note:  For the Pickled Chilies recipe, refer to my next blog post.

Singapore Noodles

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
2 portions Beehoon (Vermicelli noodles) - cooked according to package instructions)
2 eggs (lightly whisked)
4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 onion (finely diced)
1/2 carrot (julienne) 
3 bunch of Chye Sim (washed and cut)
10 prawns (peeled, deveined)
BBQ pork/Cha Seo
3 tbsp. cooking oil (part)
1 tbsp. Shaoxing Wine

Seasonings:
2 tbsp. light soy sauce
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. sugar (to taste)

Methods:

1. In a heated wok, add 1 tbsp of cooking oil, add the whisked egg, swirl the wok, and once the egg is about to set, I use a spatula to break it into chunk pieces, remove the egg into a plate, and set aside.
2. Using the same wok, add 2 tbsp. cooking oil, when wok is hot, add in garlic and onions, then add in the prawns and stir to fry until prawns turn opaque, add in red carrot, chye sim, stir to combine, then drizzle in Shaoxing Wine, toss to mix for 1 minute.  Then add in the beehoon, pork, egg and all the seasonings.  Then toss until all is combined.  This is not a saucy noodle dish, but just have enough liquid/sauce to coat the noodles but not soaking in sauce.

I adapted this recipe from Marion Grasby with slight amendment.

Fried Henghua Beehoon

As the name tells, this Henghua Beehoon is a dish of the Henghuas.  During the days of my parents-in-law this dish is often cooked in their kitchen, but today, how many younger generation Henghuas know how to prepare and cook them.  I am glad that I have the opportunity to learn to cook this dish from my late mum-in-law and continue to enjoy this special and unique dish.  Why is it unique?? Well, the beehoon used is not the normal type, instead its the 'fine' type.  Have you ever seen or cook it before??

I bought this beehoon from a friend's grocery shop at 3rd mile and she told me that she have made several attempts to cook this fine noodles but failed, as the beehoon will lump and stick together.  Extra care have to be taken when cooking because of its fine texture. Most home-cooked will assume that to loosen the noodles you need to soak them in water like the normal beehoon, but it's not the case.  What is required is just wash them in running tap water with a colander underneath, at the same time use our fingers to loosen out the beehoon and drain. Soaking it will makes it lump and stick together during cooking.

So, that's it, let me get on with the cooking....

Ingredients needed:

• a packet of Hsinhua Fine Beehoon (picture above) - washed and drained
• chye sim (washed and cut into 1" pieces (separate the stems from the leaves)

• 4 pieces dried mushrooms (soaked and cut into pieces)
• 3 onions (peeled and sliced)
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)

• 2 eggs 

• Stewed pork (cut into chunks, put the meat and sauce into separate bowls)

Seasonings:

Salt (if needed)

Grounded white pepper 

Methods:

1. In a large wok, add a tbsp of oil, swirl the sides of the wok, lightly beat the egg and add into the oil, scramble, dish and put aside for later use.
2. In the same wok add 2 tbsp cooking oil, fry the onions and garlic, just before brown add in the mushrooms and stir-fry till fragrant.
3. Add in the stewed pork, give it a quick stir, then in goes the beehoon and stir to mix. Add in 1/2 of the sauce and stir to combine.  Taste for correct seasoning, for my case my sauce is tasty enough, so I do not add extra salt to season the dish.
4. Add in the rest of the sauce as and when necessary, then in goes the stems of the chye sim follow by the leaves. For information I use the whole bowl of sauce.  In this case my noodles are not soaked, so it needs more sauce to cook the beehoon, taste the beehoon to ensure that it is fully cooked.
5. Drizzle grounded white pepper over the dish and stir to combine.
6. Off the heat, dish on a serving plate.
7. Serve with sliced chillies, juice of small limes and light soy sauce.

Notes:  For the older version this Henghua Beehoon is served topped with fried peanuts, black seaweeds and slices of fried eggs.  

Singapore Style Hongkong Fried Beehoon

During my recent trip to Hongkong the weather has been cooling and at times when it drizzles along with the breeze it can be rather cold.  Throughout our 5D4N stay there we have to put on an extra jacket if we are out and not to mention, we haven't sweat a bit! The one and only time which both me and hubby feel the heat and slightly sweat is when we have our dinner of Singapore Style Hongkong Fried Beehoon.  Though it is just a simple stir-fried dish but the extra ingredients of curry powder makes the dish taste awesome. While I am enjoying the food I also gets to observe the ingredients used as well as making full use of my taste buds to try to get as close as possible to improvise this dish at my home kitchen.

Here's to share "from Hongkong to Kuching!"

This is what you need: (Serves 3)

• half onion (sliced)
• 5 pip garlic (coarsely chopped)

• 2 egg (lightly beaten)

• some sliced meat (I use pork tenderloin which is soft, so I cut it slightly thicker) marinate with 1/2 tbsp of light soy sauce and cornflour

• some prawns (shelled and deveined)

• some shredded red carrot
• shredded cabbage
• celery (young part, leaves with the stem)

• 1 1/2 piece of beehoon (soaked)

• 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp curry powder, depending on individual liking (I use the watch brand)
• 1 cup cooking oil (for frying the meat)
• water

Seasonings:

• 3 tbsp light soy sauce 
• chicken stock granules (to taste)
• dash of grounded pepper

Few simple steps:

1. In a heated wok add in cooking oil, fry the pork tenderloin using medium heat until almost cook, dish and drain.  
2. Discard oil, leave about 3 tbsp, fry the garlic and onion until fragrant.
3. Add in prawns, stir fry briefly, add in all the veggies and give it a quick fry.
4. Add in the curry powder and mix till well combined.
5. Move the fried ingredients to the side of the wok, add a tbsp oil then the beehoon and give it a quick fry. 
6. Mix in all the other ingredients, the fried pork, add in seasonings and water. Stir till all the ingredients are well combined. Taste for correct seasoning.
7. Make a well in the center, pour in the beaten egg and give it good mix to ensure that the eggs are evenly combined with the beehoon.
8. Drizzle dash of grounded pepper.
9. Off the heat, dish on serving platter and it's time to enjoy!

Notes:

1. The actual dish does not use celery but spring onions.  I am using it to cook this dish as I have leftover the tender leafy park of the celery from making my daily celery juice. However, it taste great on this dish.
2. If you are cooking for a bigger crowd I suggest dishing out the fried ingredients into a plate at Step 5 so that the ingredients won't have to be overcooked and the beehoon gets to be fried evenly.

Stir-fried rice vermicelli with sauropus androgynus

Sauropus androgynus is commonly known as 'mani cai' in Chinese or 'cangkuk manis' in Malay. It is popularly grown and eaten in East Malaysia and it's green leaves are tasty and sweet, even if simple stir-fried with eggs as a vegetable dish in a meal. Today, I would like to share with all food lovers my stir-fried rice vermicelli with sauropus androgynus.

This is what you need: 

• 2 pieces of rice vermicelli (soak till soft and drain)

• a bundle of sauropus androgynus (pluck the leaves, wash and break the leaves into smaller pieces)

• a cup of chicken breast meat (slice into smaller pieces and marinate with a bit of light soya sauce)

• 2 eggs (lightly beaten just before cooking)

• a cup of dried shrimps (wash, soak, drain and lightly pounded)

• 4 tbsp. of shallots and 3 tbsp. of garlic (chopped)

• water (gradually add when stir-frying till the rice vermicelli is soften and cooked)

Seasonings:

Light soya sauce, chicken stock granules and pepper (to taste)

Methods:

1. In a heated wok, put 5 tbsp. of oil and fry 3 tbsp. of chopped shallots first as the shallots takes longer time to brown, then follow by 2 tbsp. of garlic.  Stir well till both are well fried and drain.
2. In the same oil, fry the  dried prawns, stir well till crunchy and drain.
3. In the same wok, put in extra oil (if needed), fry the remaining 1 tbsp. of chopped shallots and garlic till lightly brown, add in the chicken slices and fry till almost cooked, then put in the sauropus androgynus and give it a quick mix.  
4. Put in the rice vermicelli and fry, add in the light soya sauce, chicken stock granules and water, stirring well and taste the correct seasonings.
5. Clear the middle of the wok by scraping the dish to the side of the wok, put a bit of oil and pour in the lightly beaten eggs, when about to set stir with the spatula and give it a quick mix, drizzle pepper over, off the heat and continue to stir till well combined.  
6. Dish the fried rice vermicelli onto a large plate, topped with fried dried shrimps, shallots and garlic.
7. Serve with sliced chilies, light soya sauce and juice of lime!

Notes:

1. The sauropus androgynus doesn't need a long time to cook, if overcooked it will turn dark colour which affects the taste too.  If it is your first attempt cooking this dish, I advice to cook in smaller portion.
2. The rice vermicelli and sauropus androgynus both needs more oil to cook so the dish won't appear too dry.
3. Another tip to share, stir-fry the sauropus androgynus with oil, shallots and garlic till well mixed, dish up and put aside, return it to the wok  when the rice vermicelli is almost cooked.