Penang Hokkien Mee Soup [Prawn Noodle]

Boil prawn shells and blend them to obtain the prawn stock

Fry chilli paste and prawns

Add some prawn stock to cook prawns. Boiling ready soup [the bubbly foam is chilli oil]

This is home-cooked version of Penang Prawn Mee [Hokkien Mee]. My family [my Ma] used to sell this noodle during the 70's till 80's. We stopped selling this noodle and other 2 varieties Java Mee [see recipe here] and Lor Mee [see post] after my grandma passed away.

It is not difficult to prepare and definitely worth trying even if you are in other countries so long as you can find the ingredients. When I was in London for holidays in the 80's, I prepared this noodle for a Malaysian friend who missed it very much. She could find all the ingredients required and we enjoyed the steaming hot noodles at home. It was Autumn time. Her Italian husband and 2 children each enjoyed a big bowl of Prawn Noodle.
Photos above showed quantity for about 30 bowls

Ingredients For the Stock

[serves 4-5]

600 gm fresh prawns [best to use hard shelled prawns - either small or medium size]

1.5 litres of prawn stock

3-4 tbsp finely ground chilli [add more for spiciness]

2 tbsp rock sugar

1 tsp msg to taste

2 - 3 tsp salt to taste

1/2 cup oil

300 gm pork [any part or even 1/2 trotter] - wash and keep whole piece

1. Wash and shell prawns. Set aside prawns in refrigerator. Put prawn shells in a sauce pot with some water. Boil prawn shells thoroughly till cooked [see photo]. Off fire and leave to cool.
   
2. Put boiled prawn shells and liquid into a blender to blend till almost fine. Pour into another container and add more water. Strain over a fine strainer to get about 1.5 litres prawn stock. Keep stock in the sauce pot. Discard the shells.
3. Heat oil in wok to saute chilli paste. Add half portion of salt and rock sugar. Fry till chilli oil surfaced. Add in half portion of prawns [can keep the remaining for other dishes]. Continue frying till prawns are firm. Pour in half of the prawn stock [if the wok used is big enough to hold all the prawn stock, then pour in all ]. Bring to a boil till prawns are cooked.
   
4. Dish out the prawns from stock and set aside. Off fire and scoop the stock back to the sauce pot. Use the same wok, on low heat to fry the prawns till dry and firm. Dish out to cool, then slice each prawn into a few slices to be served with noodles [see picture on sliced prawns].
5. Boil prawn stock again, add in meat. Taste and adjust seasoning [salt, rock sugar and msg]. Continue boiling till meat is cooked. Dish out meat and set aside to be served with noodles. The noodle soup should smell very fragrant. Off fire. Before serving, the soup must be reheated till boiling for better taste.
6. [See next post] for ingredients and on how to serve prawn noodles [Penang Hokkien Mee].
   

Note: Leftover soup can be refrigerated and use to serve with any other noodle soup [instant noodles or rice vermicelli - without other ingredients]. Most important is to have more prawn shells to prepare the stock.