Mee Siam is a popular comforting dish amongst the Malays and the Peranakan community in both Malaysia and Singapore.
This dish is basically a spicy stir-fried rice vermicelli noodles garnished with shredded omelette, spring onions, fried shallots and calamansi wedges with an extra side of sambal if you need more heat in your mee. I personally like to add some crushed peanuts whenever I feel homesick because that was how my mum used to make me a plate of her delicious mee siam.
Feel-Good Food Anytime, Anywhere
Like nasi lemak, mee siam can be eaten at anytime of the day; either for breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner or whenever you feel like a heavy meal to pair with your hot cup of kopi or tea.
The long list of ingredients may seem complicated but trust me, it is super easy to make and the first forkful you have will make you feel like the effort is worth it.
Ingredients
- 30 dried chilli peppers, soaked and deseeded
- 40g dried shrimps, soak in water for 5 minutes
- 6 shallots
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 4 tablespoons of fermented soybean (taucu) paste, smashed it with a fork
- 12 fresh prawns, peeled and de-veined
- 4 fried beancurds, sliced
- 6 tablespooons of water
- 400g rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in hot boiled water for 5 minutes
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste puree
- 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste, mix with 2 tablespoons of warm water
- 2 stalks of chinese chives, sliced at 1-inch length
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
b) For Garnishing
- 2 stalks of spring onions, diced
- 1 fresh red chilli, sliced
- 2 omelettes, shredded
- 2 calamansi, sliced in half
- 3 tablespoons of fried shallots
- 1 tablespoon of crushed roasted peanuts, optional
Method:
- Blend dried chillies, dried shrimps, shallots and garlic with 2 tablespoon of water until becomes a slightly chunky paste.
- In a large wok, sauté the blended ingredients over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil until fragrant. Add the fermented soybeans.
- Add prawns and fried bean curd into the pan before adding water.
- When the sauce starts to simmer, lower the heat and add in the rice vermicelli and Chinese chives. Then, add tomato paste and tamarind juice. Mix to coat the noodles evenly. I love using a ladle and a pair of chopsticks to stir the noodles
- Add salt, sugar and pepper. If you feel the taste is not right, adjust to suit your palate. Turn off the heat.
- Lastly, garnish with spring onions, shredded omelette, crushed peanuts, fried shallots, calamansi wedges and chilli slices.
- Serve with sambal belacan for the best mee siam experience.
Home in a Bowl!
Mmm…nothing beats hot food that reminds you of mom’s cooking while watching you favourite shows on the television. Mee Siam always brings out the nostalgia in me. When things are tough and you just need your mom, this mee siam recipe will bring her closer to you.
So, if you ever feel like having a cheat day, try out this recipe. If you’re interested in more Nyonya inspired dishes or any feel good comfort food from your youth, check out my other delectable recipes that I have shared with Butterkicap. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me directly on my Instagram page, @justinescakesandkueh and do follow Butterkicap’s Instagram and Facebook pages for more recipe updates from yours truly!
