Mee Siam Kuah/Gravy (Vegetarian)

Shall we cook mee siam? Why not! I have two delightful Mee Siam recipes for you: one with a rich gravy, known as "kuah," and the other in a dry style. These dishes are part of Peranakan cuisine, which beautifully blends Chinese and Malay influences. In the Peranakan community, women are called Nyonya and men are called Baba. This is why recipes are often labeled as Nyonya cuisine rather than Baba cuisine.

Now, let’s dive into these recipes. I’d love to hear your feedback, so please let me know if you try them. You can reach out to me on our social media platforms. Thank you in advance

Mee Siam Kuah/Gravy
This dish is 100% vegetarian, although it includes eggs, which can be tricky since some vegetarians eat them while others do not. If you’re okay with eggs, you can top your Mee Siam Kuah with a hard-boiled or soft-boiled egg. If not, simply omit the egg. It's used as a topping, not as an integral ingredient.

Dry Mee Siam
For vegetarians who don’t consume eggs, simply omit them. The other ingredient, dried shrimps or dried prawns, can also be left out. If you're cooking for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians, use a new batch of oil instead of the oil in which the shrimps were fried. For non-vegetarians, you can add the shrimps on top of the Mee Siam before serving.

 

Mee Siam Kuah/Gravy

Ingredients

For the kuah/gravy:

Dried red chillies – to taste

5 shallots

1 tbsp taucheo (fermented soy paste)

5 garlic cloves

1 lemongrass stalk

Some water

Blend these ingredients together

 

Other Ingredients

Rice noodles or any other noodles - as needed (blanched to soften)

Tofu pok or white soft tofu - cut into pieces

Boiled eggs

Bean sprouts – blanched in hot water to soften

Chinese mustard greens - blanched in hot water to soften

Spring onion - as needed (sliced thinly)

Calamansi lime - as needed

Water - as needed

3 tbsp oil

Salt - to taste

 

Method

In heated oil, fry the gravy paste until aromatic and oil splits.

Pour in enough water for the gravy/kuah.

Season with salt and simmer.

 

To serve

 Assemble noodles with tofu, bean sprouts, egg(s), and spring onion. Pour gravy over and serve with calamansi lime.

Dry Mee Siam
Ingredients
1 slab of mee hoon (rice vermicelli) – softened
2 eggs - lightly beaten
2 tbsp dried prawns - soaked and rinsed
5 shallots - sliced thinly
5 garlic cloves - sliced thinly
Fresh red chili paste – to taste
1 tbsp taucheo
1 small bunch chives (kucai) - sliced into 1-inch lengths
1/2 cup bean sprouts
4-5 tofu pok (fried tofu) - cut into two
1/2 cucumber - cut into thin strips
Lime wedges - as needed
Oil - as needed

 

Method

Heat enough oil in a pan and fry the eggs into a thin omelet.

Remove, cool, roll, and cut into strips.

In the same pan, add more oil and fry dried prawns until crispy and crunchy.

Remove and set aside.

Leave about 3 tbsp of oil in the pan and sauté garlic and shallots.

Add chilli paste and fry until oil splits.

Add taucheo and continue to fry for another 1-2 minutes.

Add mee hoon and season with salt.

Stir continuously (sprinkle a bit of water if needed to soften the mee hoon).

Add chives, bean sprouts, tofu pok, and fried prawns.

Stir to combine all ingredients.

Remove from heat.

Garnish with fried egg strips, cucumber strips, and serve with lime wedges.