Char bee hoon (The Real Singapore Noodles)

Serves 4

1 handful of dried shrimp
1 handful of dried shitake mushrooms (about 5, depending on their size)
1 handful or bunch of dried rice vermicelli (about 100grams)
1 Chinese tablespoon oyster sauce
1 Chinese tablespoon mix of light soy and dark soy sauce
4 - 5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 handful of Chinese greens (I used choy sum or chye sim), cut into 3 inch pieces
2 - 3 tablespoons fried shallot oil
A bit of sesame oil and sugar
Ground white pepper to taste

Garnishes:

Sambal chili

Pickled green chilies

Fried shallots

1. Soak the shrimps in hot water, enough to fully cover them, for about 30 minutes.

2. Soak the mushrooms in hot water, enough to fully cover them, for 30 minutes.

3. Soak the rice vermicelli in tap or room temperature water for 20 minutes, then drain.

4.  Drain both the shrimp and mushrooms and reserve the soaking liquid, then add the oyster and soy sauce.

5. Slice the mushrooms, removing the stems and marinade them in a bit of soy, sesame oil and sugar.

6. In a mortar and pestle, pound the shrimps. Or you can chop them finely.

7. Chop your garlic.

8. Heat some shallot oil in a wok, then add the garlic and stir till you can smell the aroma. 

9. Add the pounded shrimps and fry, till you can smell that aroma too. 

10. Add the mushrooms, and fry them all together till it smells awesome. Then throw in your drained noodles.

11. Toss and add the reserved liquid (you may not have to use all of it). Keep frying and tossing, for about 5 minutes.

12. Add the greens and fry again for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat, and add a bit of extra sesame oil or finely ground white pepper, if you like. 

13. Garnish with sambal, green chilies and fried shallots. 

* There are so many versions of this dish as most cooks have their own way of preparation. But generally, these are the common ingredients (vegetarians can omit the shrimp and use oyster sauce that's made from mushrooms). 

Great version of fried bee hoon can also be seen on YouTube here on mummyicancook. 

I love the "bastardised" international versions of this dish too, it makes it so much easier to eat and you don't have to make extra dishes like a chicken curry to go along with it. SortedFood/Body Talk Daily have a really great skinny version. 

Although I love the video recipe, I reckon you need to soak the noodles in room temperature water, not hot water. So you can cook the noodles for longer and it will absorb all the other flavours in wok more. It's also more forgiving if you fry it for too long. If you soak it in hot water, not only does the flavours not seep into the noodles, the noodles will become soggy if you fry it for too long.