Mee Siam

An exotic yet simple recipe leaving you hungry for more. 

Ingredients:

GRAVY

• 25 gm onion
• ⅓ thumb size piece of ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 50 ml water
• 2 tbsp oil
• 5 gm chili paste
• ½ tbsp taucheo, mashed
• 1 tbsp peanuts, roasted and ground
• ½ tbsp dried prawns, ground finely
• 1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
• 15 gm tamarind pulp (mix with 1.5 litres of water and strain for juice)
• 1½ tbsp sugar
• ¾ tsp salt

BEE HOON

• 3½ tsp oil
• 25 gm onion, sliced
• 15 gm chili paste
• 40 gm beansprouts
• 200 gm bee hoon, soaked in water
• 100 ml water

GARNISH

• 2 hardboiled eggs, sliced into wedges
• Small limes, halved
• Cooked prawns, shelled (optional)
• 2 gm kucai (cut into 2 cm strips)

Method:

GRAVY

1. Blend onion, ginger and garlic with 50 ml water.
2. In a large pot, heat oil and add the blended onion mixture. Fry until golden brown.
3. Add chili paste and fry over moderate heat till fragrant and oil comes through.
4. Add taucheo paste, peanuts and dried prawns.
5. Add lemon grass and fry for a few minutes.
6. Finally, add tamarind juice, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Bee Hoon

1. Heat oil and fry sliced onion until light brown.
2. Add chili paste and fry well.
3. Add beansprouts and mix well. Finally, add bee hoon and water. Fry until dry.
4. Serve bee hoon with gravy, egg and limes. Cooked prawns may be added if preferred.

Health Tips

The sodium in this dish comes not only from the salt but also from the tamarind, dried prawns and taucheo. Tamarind contributes approximately 16 percent of the sodium content of this dish. When a recipe calls for tamarind, reduce the salt in the recipe to cut down on the sodium intake. You can also reduce the salt in this dish by substituting tamarind juice with lemon juice and still retain the tangy flavor.

Did you know?

Dried prawns are commonly used throughout Asia but especially in China and Thailand. During the manufacturing process, prawns are boiled first before being spread out in the sun to dry. Dried prawns are very salty and have a very sharp taste. One tablespoon of dried prawns may contain 250 mg of sodium or more. Dried prawns are normally used as seasoning. Due to their sodium content, it is advisable to use only a small amount in cooking. To get rid of some of the salt, soak the dried prawns in water before use. Fresh prawns are still the best!

Estimated Nutrient Content (Per Serving)