Lor Mee (Braised Noodles)


I cooked "Lor Mee" (Singapore-style) this weekend and updated my earlier post with new photos.

Lor mee simply refers to braised noodles, which typically uses thick yellow noodles served in a bowl with a thick flavoursome gravy (thickened with starch solution and/or egg). They are usually topped with sliced pork, deep-fried yam or other fritters, hard-boiled egg, fish cake or fresh seafood, and then served with a generous drizzle of black vinegar, chilli and minced garlic.

I still have not had Lor Mee in Sydney, though I'm sure it would be available in one of the many Malaysian/Singaporean eateries that have been popping up in many places recently. I remember many years ago, there were only a couple of such eateries in the city, but now, there are just too many to keep track of. Of course, everyone claims to serve Malaysian/Singaporean cuisine, but whether they are authentic or not is something else.

 

I happened to find  a packet of noodles in my fridge that was screaming out to be used before it's due date. Fortunately, I had some pork belly and prawn shells in the freezer, which meant that it was the perfect opportunity to make Lor Mee. I didn't have any beansprouts, but they are entirely optional.

This is a simple and tasty version of Lor Mee that is pretty easy to cook. Basically, you just need to prepare the stock (which I made from the pork and prawn shells, and chicken stock), then add in the noodles, thicken up the gravy with starch and egg, and it's ready to serve up! Don't forget to add the minced garlic and black vinegar before serving. It just isn't Lor Mee without them!


Lor Mee Recipe

Ingredients

500g thick yellow/hokkien noodles
2 cups bean sprouts

2 cups prawn shells/heads
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
400g pork belly
1/2 tbsp Cheong Chan thick caramel
1 tbsp sugar
4 cloves garlic, crushed
7 cups water or pork/chicken stock
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
3-4 tbsp Cheong Chan thick caramel (depending on how dark you like the gravy to be)
3-4 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper
4 hard-boiled eggs

Thickening:
5-6 tbsp tapioca starch + 1/2 cup water (use more starch if you like it thicker)
1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tbsp water

Garnish and condiments:
1 cup sliced fish cakes
Chinkiang Black Vinegar
White pepper
Chopped coriander leaves
Sliced red chillies
Sambal (garlic chilli paste) - you can try Glory Nyonya Sambal Chilli
Minced garlic (6-8 cloves, finely chopped in a blender with a little salt, sugar, hot water and white vinegar)

Method

Prepare the pork belly by boiling it in salted water for 5 minutes to remove impurities which will surface as scum. Discard the water and rinse the pork, then dry with a paper towel. Rub 1/2 tbsp Cheong Chan thick caramel over the meat. Heat up 1 tbsp oil with 1 tbsp sugar in a medium-large pot. When the sugar caramelizes to a brown colour, remove the pot from the heat. Carefully place the pork belly into the pot and quickly cover with the lid to prevent the oil from splattering. Then place it back on the heat and add the garlic cloves. Sear the meat on all sides until browned. Add 4 cups water, five-spice, thick caramel and light soy sauce and simmer for 1-2 hours until tender. Add hard-boiled eggs during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

While the pork is simmering, heat up 1 tbsp oil in a wok and fry the prawn shells until they turn red. Add the onion and 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, then strain the stock.

Once the pork is tender, remove the pork and cut into thin slices, and put aside. Remove the hard-boiled eggs and cut in half. Then, add the prawn stock to the pork stock, together with the chicken stock powder, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Then gradually stir in the tapioca starch solution and mix well until it comes to a simmer. Stir in the beaten egg mixture and mix through quickly. Turn off the heat.

When ready to serve, cook the noodles and bean sprouts (separately) in boiling water until cooked to your liking. Drain and divide into 4 serving bowls. Ladle the gravy over the noodles. Top with sliced pork, fish cake, hard-boiled egg and some minced garlic. Don't forget to add a splash of black vinegar and some white pepper, and garnish with sliced red chillies and coriander leaves. Serve hot with sambal chilli!

Note: For something a little extra, serve it with battered fish cocktails. I got them from the local fish & chip shop, and they went together perfectly!


Noodles in thickened gravy, topped with sliced fish cake, pork belly, hard-boiled egg,
sliced red chillies and minced garlic, drizzled with black vinegar

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Light and fluffy Ricotta Cheesecake (with homemade ricotta)

Image
I made ricotta cheese. Did you not know you could do that, with only 3 ingredients in less than 10 minutes! And all with curds and whey, I felt like Little Miss Muffet now waiting for a spider to pounce at me. So why make ricotta? Apparently, homemade ricotta gives the cheesecake a fluffier texture, and it did turn out to be light, fluffy and creamy, with a subtle taste of ricotta. I used a gingernut biscuit base just to add some flavour and texture, although you can omit that to make a crustless version. This is not a very sweet cake, unlike your typical New York cheesecake. It's probably closer to a Japanese cheesecake except for the fine graininess of the ricotta. If you like, you can serve it with some berry coulis to satisfy that sweet tooth. I find that the cake tastes best after it has "matured" for up to 3 days in the fridge. The flavours seem to have developed and the texture is somehow creamier too. Ricotta in the making Homemade Ricotta Adapted from Smitten Kit...
Read more

Malaysian Satay Recipe

Image
  Mention the word "satay" and I am instantly reminded of my childhood years and years ago, how the Malay Satay Man would peddle his mobile satay stall on his bicycle in my neighbourhood, tooting his horn. Sometimes, I could even smell the aroma from my house, even though he could be grilling his satay down the road. I would get all excited at the prospect of having satay for dinner, and run to the window to see if I could detect any "smoke" signals in the sky. He made one of the best satays in town, and the fact that he peddled his stall around the neighbourhood meant that we could walk up to him with empty plates and bowls waiting to be filled with freshly made satay. Those were the simple things in life back then, though coming from a foodie family, food was and is a big deal, as to most Malaysians of course. Malaysian Satay is such a luxury item in Sydney. I don't think I've ever ordered satay here before, not when I know it costs multiple times less bac...
Read more

The Ultimate Pad Thai Recipe

Image
I was pretty excited when I saw that Lorraine  had posted this wonderful recipe for Pad Thai on her blog. The photos simply said it all. The almost deep and rich orange hue of the noodles was the sign of a winner and it's as authentic as it gets. None of the dry, pale-looking noodles with dry chunks of chicken meat and scattering of chives, egg and tofu that I usually get in Sydney. For the record, I never order pad thai though Mr TFWL likes to always give it a chance. My preference is still to order pad kee mao (my favourite pad kee mao is from Pom's Thai in Burwood, now Strathfield). Anyway, this is how I like my pad thai - saucy and moist noodles with the right balance of sweet and sour from the tamarind and palm sugar, with saucy bits of egg crumble tossed through the noodles. Notice the key word is saucy. Loving this pad thai sauce and if you make a big batch of it, the rest of the preparation and cooking is a breeze (well, almost!). Thanks  Lorraine  for the recipe!...
Read more