Mee Siam

Name: Mee Siam
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Singaporean
Ingredients: 2 cups (150 g) bean sprouts, rinsed, seed coats and tails removed, or cabbage; 4 cakes deep-fried tofu or aburage (about 200 g/7 oz total), diced, or 2 cakes pressed tofu (300 g/10 oz), diced and pan-fried until golden brown; 3 tablespoons black bean paste (tau cheo), mashed; 1 teaspoon salt; 250 g (8 oz) medium fresh prawns, boiled for 1 to 2 minutes in 3 cups (750 ml) water, drained, shelled and deveined, prawn stock reserved; ½ tablespoon black soy sauce; ½ cup (75 g) unsalted peanuts, roasted and coarsely crushed; 1 stalk lemongrass, thick bottom third only, outer layers removed, inner part bruised; 10 candlenuts, roughly chopped; 4 small limes (limau kasturi), halved, or regular limes to serve; 5 tablespoons dried prawns, soaked in water to soften; Sambal Belachan, to serve; 2 spring onions or garlic chives (koo chye), cut into lengths, to garnish; 250 g (8 oz) dried rice vermicelli (beehoon), soaked in hot water to soften; 8 quail eggs, halved, or 2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and cut into wedges; 30 dried chillies (about 100 g), cut into lengths, deseeded and soaked in water to soften; 3 tablespoons oil; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 teaspoon belachan (dried prawn paste); 5 tablespoons oil; 6 tablespoons sugar; 6 tablespoons tamarind pulp mashed with 1 cup (250 ml) warm water, squeezed and strained for juice; 8-10 shallots, peeled; 6 cloves garlic, peeled

Rice Noodles in Spicy Tamarind Gravy

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
40 min

Appears in

The Food of Singapore

By Djoko Wibisono

Published 2015

About

This Nonya specialty—noodles in a spicy sweet and sour broth—is a popular snack at food stalls throughout Singapore.

Ingredients

30 dried chillies (about 100 g), cut into lengths, deseeded and soaked in water to soften
3 tablespoons

Asia
Singapore
Fish course
Snack
Pescatarian
South East Asia
Noodles
Street Food
Spicy

Method

Prepare the Sambal Belachan by following the instructions. Grind the dried chillies to a paste in a blender, transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
Prepare the Sauce by grinding the dried prawns, candlenuts, shallots, garlic and belachan in a blender, adding a little oil if necessary to keep the blades turning. Heat th