Recipe - Mee Siam And Sambal

Water for scalding
vermicelli
1 pack Coarse rice vermicelli (or
subst, Angelhair pasta)
250 g Beansprouts
100 g Chinese chives
500 g Small prawns
2 cup Fried tofu (about 2 cups,
cut into short strips of
1x2x1/2cm)
5 tablespoon Oil
1 lg Onion, cut or sliced up
250 ml Water
2 tablespoon Tamarind powder
4 Hardboiled eggs, cut or sliced up

REMPAH
5 tablespoon Dried prawns (pounded
separately)
5 lg Onions
4 Cloves garlic
6 Candlenuts (or subst,
Macadamia nuts)
20 Dried chillies
2 tablespoon Belacan (prawn paste)
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt

GRAVY
2 l Water
4 tablespoon Tamarind powder
3 tablespoon Fried rempah (see method)
2 tablespoon Preserved, fermented soy
beans, mashed a little
2 teaspoon Sugar
One fourth Coconut, grated
150 ml Water

This dish originates in Thailand, hence, the name Mee Siam, however, it is
pronounced "Mee Seeyam". It is one of the local favorites in Singapore.

Source: Terry Tan's Straits Chinese Cookbook

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Basic Preparation of Ingredients: Boil a large kettle of water and scald
vermi celli for 10 minutes, longer if necessary to soften until strands
are pliable and soft to the touch.

Wash and remove the root ends of the beansprouts. Cut chives into 4 cm
lengths. Wash and drain. Wash and peel prawns.

Sambal: Heat 5 tablespoons oil and fry pounded dried prawns for 3 minutes.
Add all other rempah ingredients except sugar and salt and fry until oil
seeps out again. Add sugar and salt and stir once. Remove about half the
amount of rempah and put aside.

In remaining rempah, add cut or sliced up onion and fry for 2 minutes. Add prawns and
tamarind liquid and simmer for five minutes. Remove and set aside.

How to Fry Vermicelli: Putting all but 3 tablespoons of the reserved rempah
in a wok or large frying pan, fry vermicelli and bean sprouts for 810
minutes, stirring all the time until cooked. Moisten occasionally with
tamarind liquid from the gravy allow ance if vermicelli gets dry during
frying. Add about 3 tablespoons of fried tofu pieces and half the chives to
this fried vermicelli. Dish up and arrange on a large plate with cut or sliced up
hardboiled eggs, remaining chives and remaining soybean pieces for garnish.

Gravy: Bring tamarind liquid to a boil. Put all ingre dients in. Adjust
seasoning to suit your taste. Serve Mee Siam with sambal prawns and as much
gravy as each person wants from a gravy boat.

Posted to FOODWINE Digest 28 Nov 96

From: Serene Ong sereneo@INFO.BISHKEK.SU

Date: Sat, 30 Nov 1996 02:44:39 +0600