Google: “Yee mee or Yi fu is a variety of flat Cantonese egg noodles made from wheat flour. The slightly chewy and slightly spongy texture of the noodles is due to the soda water used in making the dough (as opposed to regular non-carbonated water).”

This is our family favourite noodles with a saucy pork and vegetable stir fry. We always have them in Malaysia. As usual, my father will said add this and that with no right amounts. So, after watching him cook. I tried making it.

The taste for everyone is different: some like it crispy, salty, black colour, claypot style, deep fried yee mee first and colourful vegetables added. Well, mine is not crispy, salty, black colour, just frying in wok with not much of colourful vegetables added.

My Yee mee have a thick sauce that yee mee soaked into the flavoured of marinated pork slices, fish cakes and pork balls. The vegetables are napa cabbage and bean shoots. You can slurp up the noodles and the sauce will splatter all over your mouth.

This is a comfort, delicious and simple meal. Thank you, dad, for showing and teaching me and God for helping me to cook with the right amount for the ingredients. Let’s cook!!!!

Ingredients

3 noodle cakes
200 g pork slices
180 g bean shoots, remove roots
8 napa cabbage, cut to bite size
1/4 packet fish cakes, thinly slice
8 pork balls, thinly slice
3 Tbs cooking oil
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic boiling hot water

Sauce

1 Tbs Shaoxing wine
1 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tbs cornflour, extra

Pork marinade

1 Tbs Shaoxing wine
1 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs light soy sauce
1 Tbs dark soy sauce
1 Tsp sesame oil
1/2 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp pepper
1 1/2 Tbs cornflour plus 1/8 c water, mix till no lump

Method

Mix the marinade ingredients in a big basin, then add in pork slices and mix well to coat put in fridge overnight.

The next day, heat oil in a wok on high heat. Add minced garlic. Stir for a few seconds. Add in pork and spread out on the wok cook for about 4-5 minutes. Pork takes longer to cook.

Next cabbages, pork balls and fish cakes cook for about 3 minutes. Now add in Shaoxing, oyster sauce, soy sauces, dark soy sauce and stir to mix evenly. Start with 1 cup first chicken stock add in. Bring to the boil, then add noodles and add pork back in. Pour a bit boiling water to help soften noodles.

Stir gently to mix everything together. As soon as noodles come to the boil, add bean shoots and sesame oil. Mix the remaining 1/2 c chicken stock with cornflour until no lump then pour in to wok. Let it simmer for 1 – 2 minutes until the sauce thickens, noodles have absorbed it.  If too dry no sauce, add more boiling water, remember the sauce must be to a syrup consistency. Serve immediately with a glass of white wine.

Note: You can use chicken, beef or minced pork. You can add carrots, green vegetables such as buk choy if you like colourful dish. Yee mee noodles, sold fried and dried, are available from Asian supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute another thin dried wheat noodle.

For the sauce you may use just water, or the vegetables, chicken or beef stock. Also, the meat and vegetables will contribute enough flavour to the dish. For vegetarian you can omit the meat and use mushrooms and my aunty said there are vegetarian oyster sauce. I have not seen it but worth trying to look for it.

In Malaysia, the yee mee also comes with egg, near the end of the cooking to get a more “wat tan hor” kind of sauce. I assume we are to turn off the fire – the heat is enough to cook the egg. Never tried this method. Perhaps next time.

https://helenscchin.com/2020/12/03/yee-mee-stir-fry/

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