My freezer contain many treasures. It is filled with scrumptious leftovers all my culinary adventures. Food that I simply cannot simply bear to allow them be wasted. They are ideal for occasions after i can not be bother to prepare. Some defrosting and reheating and Bob's your uncle. The freezer can also be full of piles of rash random purchases from the many journeys lower to Chinatown. Fresh beancurd sheets, wanton skin, dumpling skin etc. But among each one of these exciting wonders, there's always a bag of prawn heads and shells that were lovingly hidden within the compartment, waiting with patience that i can be utilized as much as make the best Hokkien Prawn Noodles / Hae Mee
I've got a practice of ensuring I only buys fresh covering-on prawns for just about any cooking session, whether or not the recipe don't demand them. Then things i do would be to take away the heads and shells, pack these right into a zipper bag and pop them within my freezer. So when I accumulate an adequate amount of these, I'll treat myself for this truly amazing Singapore hawker's classic.
This isn't a hard dish to create however it does takes a little time to ensure that the soup broth to build up a wealthy and umami laden flavours. The right hae mee broth must have a brownish appearance with puddles of red-tinted oily sheen in the prawn shells. It ought to in addition have a gutsy porky depth along with a wealthy prawny (if that is a word) flavour. When the broth is completed, the remainder is dependent on assembling after which you can enjoy your work of affection.
For a much more special treat, I'd sometimes add half a gentle-steamed egg for that toppings too but at this juncture, I didn't remember. Well i guess, hopefully it will not be lengthy before I'll have another bag of frozen prawn heads and shells with this again.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
For that broth:
250g pork spareribs
250g fatty pork chop, take away the fat to help make the crispy lard cubes for garnish(see method within my Char Kway Teow publish)
16 large raw tiger prawns
2 tablespoons of lard (use sunflower oil for any healthy option)
2 tablespoons of crushed rock sugar (from the good Chinese supermarket, alternatively use granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 litres water
30g dried anchovies/ikan bilis (optional and can yield a tastier broth)
2 teaspoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
ocean salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper
For that garnish:
Fried shallots (you can purchase these ready to use from the good supermarket)
1 spring onions, eco-friendly parts only, reduce rings
Crispy fried lard cubes
For everyone:
400g fresh egg noodles
200g kangkong (water green spinach)
100g bean sprouts
2 large red chilled, reduce rings
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
Method
Cut the pork spareribs apart into manageable size pieces. Bring a pan water towards the boil, add some ribs and blanch for just two-3 minutes before draining and rinsing with lots of cold water to obtain rib associated with a visible bloodstream. These provides you with a clearer stock. Put aside.
Prepare the prawns. Remove and reserve the heads and shells. Cut a slit across the back and take away the skinny black thread intestines, Wash completely and pat dry. Put aside within the fridge.
(Note: If much like me, you have ample frozen prawn heads and shells lounging about within the freezer, they are utilized rather and then leave these prawns whole and skip this task. )
Heat the lard or oil inside a wok over medium-high temperature. Once smoking, add some prawn heads and shells towards the wok and fry for one minute before adding the rock sugar, garlic clove and peppercorns and then fry for an additional 3-4 minutes, before the prawn heads and shells have switched an in-depth red colour and coated with glossy gently caramelised sugar.
Pour within the water, add some blanched ribs, trimmed pork chop and anchovies and produce towards the boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for just two hrs. Skim off any floating foam from time to time.
Take away the pork chop in the simmering stock after half an hour, that ought to certainly be cooked and tender and hang aside to awesome. Once cooled, thinly sliced the pork and hang aside.
Following this time, take away the ribs from stock and discard as they're going to have forget about flavour. Strain the stock via a fine sieve lined having a muslin cloth right into a clean pan, pressing around the heads and shells to extract as muck stock as you possibly can. Season with light and dark soy sauce, pepper and salt to taste. Bring the stock towards the boil, add some shelled prawns and blanch for just two-3 minutes, until they switched pink and merely cooked through. Lift by helping cover their a slotted spoon and hang aside. Keep your stock on the simmer.
Bring a pan water towards the boil. Blanch the noodles until just heated through, then drain utilizing a slotted spoon and divide into separate serving bowl.
Utilizing the same pan of boiling water rapidly blanch the kangkong and bean sprouts for any couple of seconds, until just cooked through. Divide the vegetable, cooked prawns and sliced pork and arrange nicely to the noodle one of the serving bowls. Pour enough hot stock of these to pay for the noodles and top using the garnishes.
Place some light soy sauce in a tiny sauce dish with a few sliced red chillies quietly.