Hor Fun refers to flat rice noodles. This food is influenced by Cantonese and Hakka culture. The dish is named Ipoh Hor Fun because of the origin of the soup dish is from Ipoh. Hor fun is similar to kuey teow noodles but is much smoother and smaller.
Ipoh Hor Fun is characterised by the smooth, silky texture of the noodles. It is quite slippery and might be difficult for some to eat it with chopsticks. The noodle soup garnished with prawns and shredded chicken is a delicious meal to enjoy during cold weather.
The taste of the soup is the most essential aspect of Ipoh Hor Fun. The fundamentals of the soup is a chicken-based stock infused with prawn flavours. This savoury and light broth goes well with the smooth hor fun noodles. The dish can be quite bland for some people. For extra flavouring, you can enjoy it with some chopped bird’s eye chillies mixed with light soy sauce.
The prawns contribute to the red oily sheen of the dish. It gives a distinct and sweet flavour to the dish. Thus, fresh prawns are preferred to cook Ipoh Hor Fun. Make this bowl of simmering goodness at home at any time of the day.
Ingredients (4 servings):
- 500 g of Ipoh Hor Fun
- 300 g of chicken meat
- 8 medium-sized prawns (peeled and deveined, keep the shell and head for the broth)
- 2 cm ginger
- 30 g of chives (cut into 1-inch length)
- 50 g of bean sprouts
- 1 tsp of sugar
- 1 L of chicken stock
- 2 tbsp of oil
- 2 bird’s eye chillies (optional)
- Light soy sauce
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions:
- Heat up cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Stir-fry the prawn heads and shells until it turns golden.
- Boil the chicken stock in a pot. Add ginger, chicken, prawn heads and shells. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 40 minutes. Add salt and pepper according to preference.
- Remove the chicken from the broth and set it aside. Once the meat cools, shred the meat.
- Blanch the prawn meat in the soup for 2 minutes. Remove it and put it aside.
- Add chives and bean sprouts into the broth. Let it simmer for a minute or until the vegetables are slightly wilted.
- Prepare the Ipoh Hor Fun following the instructions on the package.
- Place the cooked Hor Fun in a bowl. Then, garnish with prawns and shredded chicken. Pour the soup into the bowl.
- Serve immediately with the chopped chillies mixed with light soy sauce at the side.