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1
Knead the dough and let it rest
25 minutes
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Tip the flour into a bowl, make a well, add one egg, the salt and 120 ml of water, and mix to a shaggy dough. Knead on a floured board for 5 minutes until smooth and firm, then cover with a damp cloth and rest for 20 minutes.
The dough should feel like a firm earlobe — add water a teaspoon at a time if it is crumbly.
Done when: The dough is smooth, holds its shape and springs back slowly when pressed.
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2
Simmer the anchovy broth
25 minutes
Gentle simmer at 95°C (203°F)
Put 1.2 litres of water and the 50 g of cleaned stock anchovies in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 20–25 minutes while the dough rests. Strain the broth through a fine sieve, discard the spent anchovies and return the clear broth to the pot; keep it at a gentle simmer.
Do not boil the broth hard — a rolling boil clouds it and turns the anchovy flavour bitter.
Done when: The broth is clear, pale gold and tastes cleanly savoury of anchovy.
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3
Fry the anchovies, shallots and garlic crisp
6 minutes
Oil at 170°C (340°F)
Heat the oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the remaining 30 g of anchovies for 2 minutes until crisp and golden, lift out and drain. In the same oil, fry the shallot rings for 2 minutes, then the sliced garlic for 30 seconds, until golden — lift each out the moment it colours.
Garlic goes from golden to burnt in seconds, so stand over the pan and have a plate ready.
Done when: The anchovies snap when bent, and the shallots and garlic are crisp and golden, not brown.
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4
Braise the mushrooms and cook the minced pork
8 minutes
Pan at 180°C (350°F); pork to 71°C (160°F)
In the same pan, add the sliced shiitake with a ladle of broth and braise for 3 minutes until dark and tender. Push the mushrooms aside, add the seasoned ground pork and the chopped garlic, and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, breaking the mince into small crumbles, until it is browned and cooked through.
Let the pork sit untouched for a minute before stirring — that is how it browns instead of steaming grey.
Done when: The pork is browned in small crumbles and reads at least 71°C (160°F); the mushrooms are dark and glossy.
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5
Tear in the noodles and poach the eggs
8 minutes
Boiling broth at 100°C (212°F)
Bring the strained broth back to a rolling boil. Pinch off pieces of the rested dough about 5 cm across, flatten each one between your fingers and tear it into the broth — the ragged, uneven pieces are the point of pan mee. Simmer the torn noodles for 3–4 minutes, then drop in the sweet potato leaves for 30 seconds until just wilted. Meanwhile, crack each of the remaining four eggs into a small cup and slide them gently into the simmering broth; poach for 3 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft.
Tear the pieces thin at the edges and thicker in the middle — that is what gives mee hoon kueh its chewy bite.
Done when: The noodles float, look puffed and taste chewy-tender; the egg whites are fully set and the yolks jiggle.
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6
Assemble the bowls
3 minutes
Serve steaming hot, above 74°C (165°F)
Divide the noodles, greens and broth between four deep bowls. Top each bowl with a spoonful of the braised mushrooms and minced pork, one poached egg, a scatter of fried anchovies, shallots and garlic, and the spring onions. Put the sambal on the table, not in the bowls.
Ladle the broth over the toppings last so the fried anchovies stay crisp for the first spoonfuls.
Done when: Each bowl has noodles, greens, pork, mushrooms, one egg and a crisp topping, swimming in clear broth.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the bowls the moment they are assembled, steaming hot, with the sambal on the side — the noodles are at their chewiest, the egg yolk is still runny, and the fried anchovies are still crisp in the first minutes.
Malaysia
1h 10m
