Episode 2: Mee Sua

This fragrant, stir-fried mee sua noodle dish features often on the celebration table of Hokkien families, because it requires quite a bit of technical skill to cook perfectly. It’s comforting, homely food that showcases mastery of the wok and temperature control, so make it for the people you love most.

Halal

No Milk

No Alcohol

No Pork

Difficulty: Easy

Preparation: 25 min
Cook: 25 min
Clean up: min

Steps: 2 steps
8 Ingredients

Difficulty: Easy
Steps: 2 steps
8 Ingredients

Preparation: 25 min
Cook: 25 min
Clean up: min

Instructions

1. Deep-fry the mee sua

In a wok or deep saute pan, heat up enough vegetable oil to deep-fry the noodles.
Test the oil by dropping a small piece of noodle in. It should start bubbling and turn golden brown within 15 seconds. This means the oil is hot enough.
Drop the bundles of dry mee sua noodles, turning them over to ensure the noodles are evenly golden brown all over.
Remove the noodles and let the oil drip off on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Place the deep-fried noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Let the noodles sit and soften for about 30 seconds-1 minute.
Once they’re softened and loosened, drain the noodles and let them dry.

(If you’d rather not go through the hassle of deep-frying the mee sua noodles, this recipe works well for fried bee hoon (rice vermicelli) as well. Just soak the bee hoon in cold water until soft before frying.)

2. Stir-fry the noodles

In a bowl, stir the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper, salt and water together.
Pour the oil out of the wok or saute pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in the wok. Return to a high heat.
Saute the garlic and sliced onion until fragrant. Add the cabbage and julienned carrot and saute until softened.
Add the beansprouts, then the red chilli and saute until slightly softened.
Now, toss in the softened mee sua noodles. Stir until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
Pour in the mixed sauce, and toss until absorbed by the noodles and other ingredients.

(This is a vegetarian version perfect for pairing with proteins, but you can also add some chicken or other meat to the wok when frying for a full meal.)

Garnish and Serve!

Serve immediately, garnishing with fried shallots and coriander leaves if you like.

(For a more luxurious take on this dish, fry the mee sua with some mushrooms and crab meat, seasoning with just a touch of fish sauce.)

I like shortcuts. I like convenience as much as the next person. So, I want to test this out. Do I need to have this extra step of deep frying the Mee Sua, or can I take a shortcut by just stir frying them straight away? Let's see. First, soak both of them in hot water for about a minute to soften. If you love noodles as much as I do, and there are some noodle-ly conventions that you want challenged, join me in the kitchen so that we can make our lives easier and tastier. Now, let's fry up some noodles.