Family Style Meatless Hokkien Char [Stir Fry Yellow Noodles]

Family Style Hokkien Char [Meatless]

Hokkien Char [stir fry yellow noodles in soy sauce] is a common hawker food in Penang and available in most of the stalls selling Char Hor Fun [Cantonese Stir Fry Flat Rice Noodles] and Ee Fu Mee [Stir Fry Fried Yellow Noodles].  Preparation is simple and we can cook it vegetarian style or with the normal ingredients such as pork slices and prawns.  This time, I am cooking almost the vegetarian version as I am not in the mood to have prawns and meat for Sunday lunch.
We love to eat the noodle prepared this way, so I will usually cook more. 

Here are the ingredients:-

[serves 3-4]

500 gm yellow noodles - put in colander and rinse under running water. Drain/set aside

3-4 stalks chai sim [mustard green leaves] - wash and cut 2" lengths [I prefer more vege]

3 dried mushrooms - soak, wash, squeezed out water and cut strips

10 pieces of taufu pok [beancurd puff] - wash and cut half

1 piece black fungus [mok yee]- soak and cut into smaller pieces

1/2 red carrot - cut strips

2 tbsp fried shallot crisps [brings out the flavour of this noodle]

2 pips garlic - chopped

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp each pepper and Ajinomoto or msg

enough hot water/stock to braise noodles [about 1 cup]

3 tbsp oil

2 tbsp sambal belacan mix with juice of 1 small lime

Ingredients for this dish

Other ingredients - Mee, Dark Soy Sauce,
 Crispy Shallots, Sambal Belacan

1. Heat oil in wok on medium heat, fry shallots till golden and crispy.  Dish out and set aside.  Add in the garlic to fry till aromatic, push aside and add in mushrooms.  Fry, then add in black fungus, taufu pok and carrots.  Stir fry once or twice.
2. Add in yellow noodles [mee], dark soy sauce, pepper and Ajinomoto [msg]. Fry till ingredients are well combined.  Add in mustard leaves and just enough water/stock to cover the noodles. Stir to mix ingredients well then cover to braise noodles for about 5 - 10 minutes or until the gravy is slightly thick.
3. Dish out on a big serving plate, sprinkle fried crispy shallots and a dash of pepper.  Serve in rice bowls with sambal belacan or cut red chillies in soy sauce.

Note:

• salt and light soy sauce is not added because yellow noodles are slightly salty
• can add 1-2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce for added favour