Mee Hun Kerr (Flour Cake Soup)

Mee Hun Kerr is one of the things that can be easily purchased and inexpensive in Malaysia's kopitiam. It is one of the dish that I can't categorize; whether it should be a kueh (or cake) or a noodle soup. The said "noodle" is actually made of flour and formed into pieces or strips of no specific shapes, and is then boiled and served in a broth. Because the serving style resembles that of a noodle soup and the taste does not reflect that of the sweet delicacies we know as kueh/cakes, I'm partial to thinking that mee hun kerr is more a noodle soup even though its name literally translate to "flour cake."

Growing up, most of my personal experiences with mee hun kerr were those that is Ah Po's very own home-made. One of the things about Ah Po is that, when one of us - my brothers and I - likes something or ever slightly mentions "This is really good. I love it!", Ah Po will keep making that particular dish for us. And she does it so effortlessly.

My experience in making my own mee hun kerr was quite a different story. First of, my fried anchovies sucked. They were not crispy crisp. They were hard, perhaps due to overcooked. My flour cakes did turn out to be of variable shapes as I attempted the free-style shaping like Ah Po does, but also highly inconsistent. Some were ridiculously huge, some too thick. Luckily, I approved the soup.

Making mee hun kerr is a huge project by my definition. Clearly, I need more practices to master the skill.

Puipo, I wish you were here to give me guidance and try the mee hun kerr.

Mee Hun Kerr (Flour Cake Soup)
makes 4 - 5
Dough:
300 gm of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp of salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup of water

Soup:
100 gm of dried anchovies, washed and drained
400 gm of chicken/pork meat, sliced and mix with 3 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of tapioca flour and a dash of pepper (subs. chicken cooked in broth and shredded)
100 gm of dried mushrooms, soak to soften and sliced
300 gm of choy sum
4 liters of water
1 cube of anchovies/chicken stock

Garnishing:
Fried shallots
Fried anchovies

Condiment:
Chili padi with salt, sugar and vinegar

Knead flour, salt, eggs, and water into a dough. Knead by adding water bit by bit till the entire dough is smooth and not sticking to hands. Cover with damp cloth and leave to rest for at least 1/2 hour.
Fried anchovies with 3 tsp of oil till golden brown and crispy.
Bring water to boil. Add in half of the crispy anchovies, anchovies/chicken stock, and sliced mushrooms. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes.
Take a small piece of dough and rub with a little cooking oil. Tear the dough into small and very thin pieces, and drop them into the soup. As soon as the dough pieces float to the top, fish them up and leave aside. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Add chicken/pork into the soup and bring back to boil.
When meat is cooked, add choy sum. Then, put the cooked dough pieces back to the soup.
Season with salt to taste.
To serve, scoop into individual bowls. Add a dash of sesame oil and top with garnishings, accompany with chili padi condiment.