Noodles - Hokkien Mee (Prawn Noodles)

I don’t know why prawn mee (noodles) is called Hokkien mee (Cantonese: Har Mee) in Penang; maybe this recipe was made by someone who was from the Hokkien/Fujian Province (China). Of course, I mean they were Hokkien Chinese in Penang. If you go to Fujian, China, I think you wouldn’t find this type of Hokkien prawn noodles. In Penang, Hokkien prawn noodles are in soup, and fried Hokkien mee is different; it is another type of noodles.

I saw my sister-in-law prepare Hokkien mee before, from taking off the prawn shells, frying the prawn shells, cooking prawn shell soup, and cooking the other ingredients…a lot of work.

If you do not live in Malaysia and you miss Penang prawn mee, and your place has a store selling ‘Ibumie’ instant prawn noodles (I used to buy this brand when I was in Penang), I recommend you buy it. You cook it yourself at home, and the taste is quite good. I bought this package during our New York trip, and it has five packs in a package. I didn’t find it in our area’s store, sigh…. Let’s cook these instant prawn noodles.

Ingredients – Makes 1 serving

• 1 pack ‘Ibumie’ Har Mee (prawn noodles)
• 1-1½ cups water
• 3-4 shrimps
• 3 fish balls (optional)
• Some bean sprouts or water spinach
• ½ boiled egg, slice to half

Method

1. Add paste/seasoning from package, shrimp and fish balls to boiling water. After the mixture comes back to a boil, add the instant noodles.
2. After cooked, put in bean sprouts and water spinach and bring back to a boil before turning off the heat.
3. Pour the cooked noodles in a bowl, place the boiled egg and garnish with fried onion & chili oil (from package). Serve while it is still warm.

我不知道为何槟城的虾面叫为福建面，也许这是由某福建人创煮出的面食，当然我指的是槟城的福建人，如你去中国的福建，我想你在那儿可能找不到福建虾面。且槟城的福建虾面是汤煮的，而福建炒面又是另一类的面食。

我看过我三嫂煮过福建面，剥虾壳，炒虾壳，煮虾汤及做其它配料…蛮多工的。

如果你不住在马来西亞又喜欢又想吃槟城的虾面，而你住的地区有得买到‘Ibumie’的快熟虾面的话（我以前住槟城时曾偶尔在supermarket买这牌子），推荐你买回去自己煮来吃，味道不错。这是我在纽约时买到的，五小包一包装。我们的地区没看到有人卖，唉…真是的。别提了，就煮这快熟虾麵吧！

材料 - 做1人份量

• 1包 ‘Ibumie’的快熟虾麵
• 1-1½杯水
• 3-4只 虾
• 3粒 鱼丸（可有可无）
• 少许 豆芽或蕹菜
• ½ 粒 水煮蛋，切半

做法

1. 加调味料（附在包装内）、虾和鱼丸在煮沸的水，水再煮沸后，加入面煮熟。
2. 加入豆芽或蕹菜，再煮沸后即可关掉炉火。
3. 将虾面盛于碗，加上蛋及撒上油炸葱和辣椒油（附在包装内）。稍热食用。

Dessert - Bubur Cha Cha

On the 15^th day of the first lunar month, I know some of the Hokkien people in Penang will cook ‘Bubur Cha Cha’ (Sweet potato and yam/taro soup) for the festival. I don’t know what the meaning is, but I know bubur cha cha is a popular Nyonya dessert.

Ingredients – Makes 6 servings

• 7 oz (200 gm) sweet red potato
• 7 oz (200 gm) sweet yellow potato
• 7 oz (200 gm) yam/taro
• 4 pandan (screwpine) leaves, wash and tie them in a knot
• 3 cups water
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk with a pinch salt

Method

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and yam/taro, and cut into bite-size cubes. Steam the cubes for about 15 mins or until cooked.
2. Add the water, sugar and pandan leaves, and bring to a boil. Add the cooked sweet potatoes and yam/taro, when it boils again, then add coconut milk and stir well. Turn off the heat before it comes to a boil - don’t boil coconut milk.
3. Remove pandan leaves before serving. Bubur cha cha can be served warm or cold. If serving it cold, chill the cooked bubur cha cha and add some shaved or crushed ice.

我知道有些槟城福建人会在正月十五元宵佳节煮Bubur Cha Cha（音译: 摩摩查查，即椰浆番薯芋头糖水），我不知道其意义，只知道bubur cha cha是Nyonya其中一著名的甜品。

材料 - 可做6人份量

• 7安士（200克）红番薯
• 7安士（200克）黄番薯
• 7安士（200克）芋头
• 4叶 班兰叶，折捆打结
• 4汤匙 糖
• 3杯 水
• 1杯 浓椰浆，放少许盐

做法

1. 番薯和芋头削皮切块，放进蒸锅15分钟或至番薯已熟软。
2. 水、糖和班兰叶放进锅煮沸，放入熟番薯和芋头再煮沸，然后倒入浓椰浆，搅拌均匀，在未煮沸前即可熄火，椰浆不宜煮沸。
3. 食用前先弃掉班兰叶。

Dessert - Ice Kacang

Every Malaysian would know about ice kacang, also called “ABC”; it is an ice dessert.

A long time ago, I saw the hawker make the ice kacang. I was a little kid but it impressed me because ice kacang is most kids’ favorite. We need to wait for the hawker to make ice kacang when we buy one, so we watched how he did it. First, he took an ice cube the size of a brick from a box. The ice was covered by sawdust (not sure it was sawdust or something else, if someone knows please correct me) to keep the ice from melting fast. He used his other hand to take a bowl of water to clean up the ice. He then placed the ice on the shaving board, holding it stable with a board full of needles stuck on top of the ice, and shaved the ice by hand. I saw the shaved ice dropping down slowly from the shaver. In fact, I remember during my childhood I could only afford to buy s’ng wan (ice ball, similar to a snow cone), which was cheaper than buying ice kacang. S’ng wan is a ball of shaved ice made by hand, with red colored syrup poured on it. Later, we saw an ice shaver machine. The ice was placed between a press and shaver, and it had a hand wheel to turn the ice. I saw the shaved ice dropping down from the shaver, so we didn’t have to wait so long to get ice kacang. Then later, came the electric ice shaver; it was fast to make a bowl of ice kacang after you ordered.

Ah… after talking about childhood memories of ice kacang, I really want to have ice kacang now. I don’t have an ice shaver, so ice cream kacang is better than nothing.

Ingredients for Ice Cream Kacang - Makes 1 serving

• 2-3 scoops ice cream
• Some kidney beans, cooked
• A little cream style corn
• Some palm seeds

Method

Scoop the ice cream in a small bowl, add in the cream corn, kidney beans and palm seeds. Serve before the ice cream melts.

Ingredients for Ice Kacang - Makes 1 serving

• A bowl of shaved ice
• Some kidney beans, cooked
  
• A little cream style corn
• Some palm seeds
• Some agar-agar (jelly), diced
• Some peanuts
• 1 scoop ice cream (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp flavored syrup
• 2 Tbsp evaporated milk

Method

Put kidney beans, cream corn, palm seeds, jelly and peanuts in a small bowl. Add shaved ice, and then syrup, drizzle with evaporated milk. Add the ice cream. Serve before the ice melts.

马来西亚无人不晓ice kacang（红豆冰）／ABC，它是一种冰甜品。

很久以前我见过卖ice kacang的人的做法，那时候我很小，但却印象深刻，因那时候的小食不多，ice kacang是大多小孩喜爱的，去买ice kacang时就站在那等，所以当然就是看着卖ice kacang的人做ice kacang给我，他开始从一个箱中拿出一块冰如砖块般大小，冰在箱里是沾着木锯屑（不确定是否木锯屑，如有人知道请指正）以防冰快速溶解，他的另一只手取了一瓢水，冲洗掉冰块上的木锯屑，接着把冰块放在一刨刀上，上端手握一种铁钉板，铁钉插着冰块以稳住在刨刀上，就是这样用手推刨出沙冰，看着沙冰从刨刀下慢慢飘落下来。其实在童年，那时只买得起比较便宜的s’ng wan（冰丸／冰球），就是双手将沙冰弄成圆团，淋上红糖水。再后来，渐渐的看到一种刨冰器，冰块被夹住在刨刀上，然后用手转轮的转动冰块，沙冰就从刨刀下飘落下来，当然等买ice kacang的速度就不用太久了。再后来，是用电刨冰机器了，很快的一碗ice kacang就会在你面前。

啊…说了ice kacang的童年回忆，真的很想吃ice kacang咧，但我没刨冰器，做ice cream kacang也好过没。

Ice Cream Kacang 材料 - 做1人份量

• 2-3勺 雪糕
• 少许 熟红腰豆
• 少许 罐头玉米浆
• 少许 attap（亚答）籽

做法

舀雪糕于小碗上，加入红腰豆、玉米浆和亚答籽，即食。

Ice Kacang（红豆冰）材料 - 做1人份量

• 1碗 沙冰
• 少许 熟红腰豆
• 少许 罐头玉米浆
• 少许 attap（亚答）籽
• 少许 jelly／菜燕，切小块
• 少许 炒熟花生
• 1勺 雪糕（可有可无）
• 1-2汤匙 红糖水
• 2汤匙 罐头奶水

做法

在小碗上加入红腰豆、玉米浆、亚答籽、菜燕和花生，然后加入沙冰，淋上红糖水和奶水，舀雪糕在沙冰上，即食。