Image Credit: Angie Liew
Thai Style Fried Mee Hoon is a simple stir-fried dish that features rice vermicelli (mee hoon) mixed with tom yam paste. The recipe is highly flavourful as it uses an abundance of spices and herbs to enhance the flavours of the dish. The noodles have a light feel to it and are both sweet and savoury.
Thai cuisine enthusiasts will enjoy the dish as it is filled with many flavours! The dish is quick to prepare as the total time taken to make the dish is about 20 minutes. The dish uses tom yam paste to add a little bit of zing to the dish. The term ‘Tom’ can be referred to as soup and ‘Yam’ means spicy and sour salad. The recipe contains about 400 calories per serving, which may vary depending on the ingredients used.
What is Tom Yam Fried Rice Vermicelli (mee hoon)
The Fried Mee Hoon is mainly made out of rice vermicelli, tom yam paste, dried shrimp, bean sprouts and bunga kantan (torch ginger flower). To make the dish, start by first soaking the rice vermicelli in water until it is soft. Proceed to rinse the bean sprouts and chives, then cut the chives into smaller pieces. Thinly cut the chicken fillet, fish cake, carrot and bean curd into smaller pieces.
Proceed to shred some kaffir leaves, lemongrass and bunga kantan into thin slices. Chop the dried shrimp, garlic and shallots and then set it aside. Combine all of the ingredients, including the tom yam paste into a wok over medium heat until it is thoroughly cooked. Lastly, proceed to garnish with some fried crispy onions and calamansi. Beginners to cooking should consider trying out the recipe as it is simple to make and does not require much experience to make it.
History of Tom Yam Fried Rice Vermicelli (mee hoon)
The technique of stir-frying stems from the Chinese when they migrated to Southeast Asia, some 1000 years ago. The cooking style has integrated into Thai cuisine to create an abundance of dishes and meals. While the cuisine has some Chinese origins, the way it is prepared and executed follows the Thai style of cooking. The rice vermicelli also has its roots from the Chinese. Still, currently, it is part and parcel of Thai cuisine and other Southeast Asian countries.
Malaysia and Singapore have their own versions of mee hoon that uses the rice vermicelli, and they come in dry and wet forms. Indonesia has its own version of the dish called bihun goreng, which mixes the rice vermicelli with sweet soy sauce. The Taiwanese fried rice vermicelli tends to be on the dry side, and mainly uses sliced pork, carrots and dried shrimp.
Tips and Tricks on Making a Delicious Tom Yam Fried Rice Vermicelli (mee hoon)
- The seasonings can be adjusted to suit your taste. The seasoning should be added while the noodles are still cooking in the wok and not when the noodles are dry.
- Wild garlic can be added to the dish to spice up the meal. The taste of the dish will be mildly onion/garlicky.
- Add some protein into the dish by adding some omelette strips into the dish!
- You can make the dish enjoyable by adding bean sprouts for some added crunch in the bowl.
Where to find Tom Yam Fried Rice Vermicelli (mee hoon) in Malaysia
Wanting to taste the ever flavourful Thai cuisine? Head on out to Simply Thai (Anywhere in Klang Valley), Rak Thai (Petaling Jaya) or even Restoran Q The Weld (Kuala Lumpur) for a fantastic experience!
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