Penang Hokkien Mee / Prawn Mee

Sigh.... of relief! I'm so glad that I had the time to cook tonight, especially since Penang Hokkien Mee was on the list. It is no wonder why hawkers have to get up before the break of dawn to start their business. I think the monetary value of a bowl of Penang Hokkien Mee (as well as many other staple noodles and rice dishes in Malaysia) does not speak wholly to the effort put into making such amazing dish.

Though the recipes called for is not complicated, it does takes the right balance of the mix to create a bowl of noodle that is not extremely spicy and has a slight hint of saltiness and sweetness. Even though I cheated (I do not have kangkung and bean sprouts), the noodles is simply appetizing, delicious, and makes one begs for more!

Penang Hokkien Mee / Prawn Mee
1 bag of prawn heads and shells (from about 3 - 4 lbs of prawns)
15 cups of water, reduced to about 12 - 13 cups of broth
2 - 3 pieces of rock sugar or to taste
1 - 1.5 lbs of pork ribs, cut into pieces
Salt to taste

Chili paste:
30 dried chillies, deseeded and soaked to soften
10 shallots, peeled
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp of water
6 tbsp of cooking oil

1 lb of yellow noodles, scalded
1 pack of rice vermicelli, scalded
Some kangkung (water convolvulus), scalded
Some bean sprouts, scalded

Toppings:
1/2 lb of lean pork meat, boiled and sliced thinly
1/2 lb of prawn, deshelled and deveined
6 hard boiled eggs, shelled and halved or quartered
Some fried shallot crisps, store-bought (optional)

Blend the chili paste ingredients with a food processor until finely ground and blended. Heat up the wok and add cooking oil. Stir fry the chili paste for 5 minutes. Dish up and set aside. On the same wok (unwashed), add in a little oil and cook the prawn topping. Add in a little chili paste, sugar, and salt. Pan-fried the prawn until slightly burned. Dish up and let cool.
Add 15 cups of water into a pot and bring to boil. Add in all the prawn heads and shells, simmer on low heat for about 2 hours or longer, until the broth becomes cloudy and tastes really prawny.
Strain the broth through sieve and transfer the broth into another pot. Discard the prawn heads and shells. Scoop up and discard the orange foam forming at the top of broth.
Bring the broth to boil again. Add in half of the chili paste. Add more if spicier is desired.
Add in the pork ribs and continue to boil in low heat for another 1 - 1.5 hour until the pork ribs are thoroughly cooked.
Add rock sugar and salt/fish sauce to taste.
To serve, place a portion of yellow noodles, rice vermicelli, water convolvulus, and bean sprouts in a bowl. Ladle hot broth over. Top with meat slices, prawns, eggs, and sprinkle with shallot crisps.