Kerabu Mee Hoon (Nyonya Rice Vermicelli Salad)

This is a popular Nyonya rice noodles salad, very pungent sharp and tasty. You will like it if you like shrimp paste. It is quite strong. Use less sambal belachan if you like. If you like to add chopped mint or coriander in the noodles that's up to you but not traditional.

Here is the recipe: (enough for 3 people)

Ingredients:

150 g dried rice vermicelli

12 – 15 raw king prawns

150 g of bean sprouts

2 shallots or ½ small red onion

1 pink torch ginger flower or bunga kantan ** which looks like this. (This is a traditional ingredient, but I have never seen this in England, so I sub it with 2 tbsp of grated galangal)

Small handful of dried shrimps (about 5 – 6 tbsp)

4 tbsp of kerisik or roasted ground coconut (see method)

Sauce:

1 ½ - 2 tbsp of sambal belachan (see recipe at end of page)

4 – 5 tbsp of lime juice (traditional recipe use local small green limes called limau kasturi or calamansi)

2 tbsp of light soy sauce

1 – 2 tbsp of sugar

2 - 3 tbsp of water

Garnish:

1 chilli sliced

Few sprigs of mint/coriander

3 – 4 tbsp of toasted and ground peanuts

Few slices of cucumber

Method:

1. Soak rice vermicelli in boiling water till softened. Drain and run under tap water. Drain and toss the noodles again till no excess water running out.
2. Soak the dried shrimps for 10 minutes. Then ground in a mini blender or pound with a pestle and mortar till fine. Roast this in a dried pan for 2 minutes till dried then add in the kerisik. Stir for another minute or two. Heat off and leave aside.
3. Place bean sprouts in a bowl, cover with boiling water and let it stand for about a minute then drain.
4. Cook king prawns, pan fried in an oiled pan.
5. If you are lucky enough to get some ginger flower, cut into paper thin slices.
6. Thinly slice the shallots or red onion
7. Mix the ingredients for the sauce together.
8. To assemble the noodles salad, in a large bowl, add in the ground dried shrimp and kerisik mixture, shallots or red onions and grated galangal (or ginger flower). Mix then add in bean sprouts and rice vermicelli. Toss then pour on the sauce and mix well.
9. Pile this on a plate. Put the cooked prawns on, sprinkle with ground toasted peanuts. Then garnish with few sprigs of mint/coriander and chilli. Put the cucumber slices on the side.