Mee Siam

Name: Mee Siam
Yield: Serves four
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 300 g (10 oz) dried rice vermicelli; 10 dried red chillies, soaked, drained and chopped; 1 tbsp shallots, finely chopped; 2 tbsp dried shrimp, ground to a powder; 1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste); 250 g (8 oz) fresh prawns, peeled and deveined; 3 tbsp peanut oil; 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered; 2 limes, quartered; 2 tbsp tamarind water; 3 cups coconut milk; 1 tbsp crisp-fried shallots (available from Asian grocery stores); 2 spring onions, cut into short lengths; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp oyster sauce; 1 cup water; 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 onion, finely sliced; 2 cups bean sprouts; 4 tbsp yellow bean sauce (taucheo), lightly mashed

Preparation info

Serves
four

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Noodle

By Terry Durack

Published 2002

About

Created by Nonya Malaysian cooks inspired by the noodle dishes of Thailand. With its nice, sweet-salty flavours, it winds up being neither Thai nor Malaysian, but something that forms a bridge of good taste between the two.

Ingredients

300 g (10 oz) dried rice vermicelli
1 tbsp shallots, finely choppe

Asia
Malaysia
Fish course
Pescatarian
South East Asia
Noodles
Gluten-free

Method

Pour boiling water over noodles and leave for 4 to 5 minutes. Rinse in cold water, drain and set aside. Pound or blend shallot, chilli, belacan and shrimp powder to a fine paste. Heat oil in a hot wok and fry prawns for 1 minute. Remove prawns, then add paste and fry until it is fragrant. Reserve half the paste.

Add water, salt, sugar and oyster sauce to the wok and bring to the boil, s