Prawn noodle soup is known as Penang Hokkien Mee, Har Meen (Cantonese dialect for prawn mee) or Heh Mee (Hokkien dialect). The signature ingredient of this dish is the flavourful prawn broth. Heaps of prawn heads and shells are needed to produce this mouthwatering soup.
The combination of shrimp and pork in the broth makes the dish irresistible. This dish uses two types of noodles which are rice vermicelli and yellow egg noodles. It makes for a hearty and fulfilling dish. Aside from prawns and pork meat, prawn noodle soup is usually topped with blanched water spinach, bean sprouts and hard-boiled eggs.
Try this recipe and enjoy a warm bowl of prawn noodle soup at home with your family.
Ingredients (6 servings):
- 10 dried red chillies (soaked in hot water until soften)
- 10 red onions (roughly chopped)
- 80 ml of vegetable oil
- 40 g of dried shrimp
- 500 g of shells and heads of prawns
- 1 kg of pork bones
- 2 ½ tbsp of grated palm sugar
- 500 g of pork neck
- 5 L of water
- 200 g of bean sprouts
- 1 bunch water spinach (trimmed)
- 250 g of rice vermicelli noodles
- 800 g of fresh egg noodles
- 3 hard-boiled eggs (peeled and halved)
- 600 g of prawns (cooked and peeled)
Directions:
- Process the soaked red chillies and onion into a smooth chilli paste. Set it aside.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir-fry the dried shrimps for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add in prawn shells and heads and cook them until the shells turn pink.
- Add the chilli paste and stir until fragrant. Next, add pork bones, palm sugar and water into the pot.
- Bring the water to boil over high heat, then simmer it using low heat for 1 ½ hour. Stir occasionally and skim the surfaces of the soup to remove impurities. Add pork neck and cook for another hour or until the meat is tender.
- Once the pork neck is tender, remove it from the broth and let it cool. Thinly slice the pork neck meat and discard the bones.
- In the meantime, blanch the water spinach and bean sprouts in hot water. Drain and set them aside.
- Boil the rice vermicelli noodles in a pot for 3 minutes or until it softens. Add the egg noodles and continue to cook for another minute or so. Strain the noodles and divide into 6 serving bowls.
- Garnish the noodles with water spinach, bean sprouts, eggs, sliced pork meat and prawns. Pour the warm broth over the noodles. Serve and enjoy them with chilli sauce.