Penang Hokkien Prawn Mee

Ingredients

• 600 g medium prawns, shell on
• 600 g pork ribs
• 200 g pork belly, in one piece
• 2.5 litres water
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 15 dried chillies
• 6 shallots
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste)
• 2 tbsp rock sugar
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp sugar, for the sambal
• 400 g fresh yellow noodles
• 200 g rice vermicelli
• 300 g kangkung (water spinach)
• 200 g beansprouts
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• fried shallots, to finish
• fried lard crackling, to finish

Before you cook

• Peel the prawns, keeping the heads and shells in one bowl and the peeled prawns in another.
• Soak the dried chillies in hot water for twenty minutes, then drain and blend them with the shallots, garlic and belacan.
• Cut the kangkung into 6 cm lengths, keeping the stems and leaves in separate piles.
• Soak the rice vermicelli in cold water for fifteen minutes and drain it.
• Pull the yellow noodles apart with your fingers.

Steps

1. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the prawn heads and shells and fry them for five minutes, crushing them against the pot with a wooden spoon until they turn deep red and stain the oil orange.
3. Pour in the water and add the pork ribs and the piece of pork belly.
4. Bring the pot to a boil and skim off the grey foam that rises.
5. Lower the heat and simmer the stock uncovered for one hour.
6. Lift out the pork belly after the first thirty minutes and set it aside to cool.
7. Strain the finished stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot, pressing hard on the shells to squeeze out every drop.
8. Return the pork ribs to the strained stock.
9. Season the stock with the rock sugar, light soy sauce, salt and white pepper.
10. Turn the stock down to a bare simmer and leave it there.
11. Heat the remaining oil in a wok over medium heat.
12. Fry the blended chilli paste for ten minutes, until it darkens to brick red and the oil separates.
13. Stir the teaspoon of sugar into the chilli paste, then spoon half of it into the stock and keep the rest as sambal.
14. Slice the cooled pork belly thinly.
15. Poach the peeled prawns in the stock for ninety seconds, then lift them out.
16. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
17. Blanch the kangkung stems for thirty seconds, then the leaves and beansprouts for fifteen seconds, and lift them all out.
18. Dip the yellow noodles and drained vermicelli into the boiling water for thirty seconds, then drain them well.
19. Divide the noodles between four deep bowls and top them with the kangkung and beansprouts.
20. Add prawns, sliced pork belly, a rib or two and half a boiled egg to each bowl.
21. Ladle the hot orange stock over the top.
22. Finish with fried shallots, lard crackling and a spoonful of the reserved chilli sambal.