Prawn Noodle (Soup Based)

 虾面

I love to eat prawn noodles and to me the real test for a good bowl is in the soup and the prawns. The soup in some of the prawn noodles sold in hawker centres and coffee shops are too sweet (I think they put too much sugar to sweeten the soup stock) or lack prawn unami flavour, or the prawns are small, not fresh or too few. 

After coming across Wendy's recipe for prawn noodle and a couple of others (here and here), I came up with my version and it was a success. 

Ingredients (serves 4 pax):

A. Prawn soup:

Prawn shells from 1kg prawns 

2 garlic cloves (chopped - for frying prawn shells)

2 shallots (chopped - for frying prawn shells)

Chicken carcass or feet

2.5litres water

1/2 tsp white/black peppercorns

1/4 tsp white pepper powder

3 garlic cloves (smashed, with skin)

2 star anise petals

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

pork skin (optional)

B. Toppings: 

prawns

pork lard

fried shallots 

pork slices (lean meat or pork belly) 

1 bundle of kang kong / water spinach (about 300g) - pluck the leaves and select the tender stems, washed and set aside

C. Noodles:

Rice vermicelli, 200g (soaked until soft, then drain and set aside)

Method:

1. Wash, peel prawns and de-vein. Chill the prawns in fridge.

2. Prepare pork lard. Refer to this post.

3. Prepare fried shallots: Peel and sliced 5-6 shallots, then fry using pork lard until golden and crispy. 

4. Prepare prawn soup: 

4.1 Blanch the chicken carcass and feet in boiling water. Remove the chicken carcass and feet, and set aside. Discard the water.

4.2 Put water into a big pot and bring to a boil. Add the chicken carcass and feet, as well as the whole piece of pork/pork belly into the pot. Fish out the pork/pork belly after 10minutes. Sprinkle some salt over the pork/pork belly. When the pork has cooled down, slice thinly and set aside.

4.3 Fry shallots and garlic using pork lard until fragrant, then add in prawn shells and stir fry until the shells turned pink, dry and very fragrant. Transfer the shells into the pot and add in cloves, star anise petals, peppercorns and pepper powder, and bring to boil again. Once boiled, lower heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, season the soup with dark soy sauce and fish sauce.

5. Bring the soup back to a boil and put in the prawns and sliced pork/pork belly. When the water comes to boil again, fish the prawns and pork out, and set aside.

6. Heat the wok with water and bring to a boil. Put the rice vermicelli in a metal strainer and lower into the boiling water. Cook according to package instructions and transfer to serving bowls. Drizzle some pork lard or oil from frying shallots over the cooked rice vermicelli, and use chopsticks to mix in.

7. Using the same water for cooking the rice vermicelli, put in the kang kong and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain the vegetable and transfer to the serving bowls. Add the prawns and pork into the noodle bowls.

8. When it is time to serve, re-boil the soup and ladle the soup through a sieve into the noodle bowls. Top up with pork lard and fried shallots. Serve hot!