At last, I have created a post on my ultimate comfort food - Mee Hoon Kueh, a homey dish I have been eating since young (being a Hokkien) and never get bored with.
I have always preferred home-cooked mee hoon kueh over commercially sold ones as most are machine-made these days and cut into regular square pieces, which kind of lose the elasticity and chewy texture a good mee hoon kueh should have. Mee hoon kueh should be tore (not cut) into irregular shapes and sizes - the beauty of imperfection.
I don't have the exact measurements of the flour and water used to make the dough as it's purely based on estimation and judgment. The process of experimenting, mixing and matching the ingredients is what that makes all cooking experiences unique and fun.
This is a simple recipe without any deep fried anchovies and shallots garnishment. We did make a soy-vinaigrette sauce (mixing soy sauce with Balsamic vinegar) with some cut chillies to go with, a superb condiment for mee hoon kueh.
Ingredients
Dough:
Plain flour
1 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp salt
Water
Soup stock:
Half bowl ikan bilis (anchovies) with 4 bowls water
1 tbsp oil
1 bunch Choy Sum, or vege of your choice
Pork strips marinated with soy sauce and corn flour
Method
To make the dough, mix plain flour, corn starch and salt in large mixing bowl or on a big wooden chopping board. Slowly stir in water and start kneading into a smooth dough. Use your judgment and add more flour or water if need be so that the dough will not stick to the bowl or board. The whole process of kneading takes around 20-30 minutes. Separate the dough into portions and make into 2 balls (for 2 pax). Leave them to stand for 30-40 minutes.
To make the soup stock, heat 1 tbsp oil in a pot and stir-fry ikan bilis for about 30 seconds til brown and fragrant. Add four bowls of water, bring it to boil and simmer soup for 30-40 minutes. Discard ikan bilis and stock is ready for use.
This is how the doughs look like after 45 minutes, ready to be pulled and tore into pieces.
Give the doughs a few good pulls. Tear dough into thin bite size pieces and drop them into the soup. Stir occasionally. Add choy sum and pork slices and cook for about 2-3 minutes (do not overcook it). Season with salt to taste.
Dish and serve immediately.
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2 comments:
Hi, love your blog. Can you please tell me how much plain flour I need for the dough? thank you.
Hi Lochy
Thanks for popping by. :)
For 2 servings, I suggest to start with 200g plain flour. As you knead the dough, add some water if the dough is dry or add some flour if you find it runny. It's hard to quantify how much flour to use, but you will know it's ready when the dough is not lumpy and becomes smooth.
I used a rolling pin to help me with the kneading. If you don't have one, try using a thin glass bottle (wine or soy sauce bottle that is made of glass). You might find it hard in the beginning to "form" the dough but keep kneading and it will soon become smooth. Rest the dough for about half an hour after that.
Let me know how it goes ok? :)
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