Mee Pok is a Chinese noodle dish with Teochew origins - a popular hawker meal all around Southeast Asia. Here in Singapore, almost everyone has slurped on a big bowl of these egg noodles at least once in their life. The magic is in the sauce that the noodles are tossed in - a clever mix of spicy, salty and sweet in every bite!
I just moved into my new home and this was an easy dish to whip up without a full pantry. The noodles and fishballs are store bought, however I would recommend making your own fishballs if you have the time.
Recipe serves 2 people. 5 mins prep time, total cook time approximately 25 mins.
INGREDIENTS
For the noodles
Mee Pok (Half a packet or 2 bunches will make 2 servings)
1 packet chili fishballs
1/2 packet mushroom seafood balls
4 cups ikan bilis broth
For the magic sauce!
2 tablespoon black sauce (sweet)
2 tablespoon fish sauce (salty)
2 tablespoon sambal chili paste (spicy)
2 tablespoon black vinegar (tangy)
2 tablespoon ikan bilis stock (umami!)
For the garnish
1 cup deep friend ikan bilis
3 bunches chopped spring onion
1 cup fresh salad greens/ lettuce
3 pieces fried garlic and onions (Optional)
Sliced chili padi in soy sauce
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring ikan bilis stock to a boil. If you don't have ready-made stock, just add a bunch of dried ikan bilis in a stock with a dash of white pepper and that will give you stock! You can control the saltiness of the stock by adding more or less ikan bilis.
2. Add fishballs and mushroom seafood balls to stock till they float - this indicates that they are cooked through.
3. In your own serving bowl, add 1 tablespoon of black sauce, fish sauce, sambal chili paste and black vinegar.
4. Throw noodles into the boiling stock for 45 seconds to cook, make sure to always toss them around with a chopstick so they don't stick together.
5. Drain noodles and toss in your serving bowl, Add 2 tablespoons of the ikan bilis stock and mix! Make sure the noodles are coated with the sauce.
6. Top off with a bunch of lettuce, fishballs, mushroom seafood balls, deep fried ikan bilis (for texture), chopped spring onion and fried garlic-onion combo.
7. There you have it - serve immediately after cooking otherwise the noodles will set and clump together.