Mee Siam

Mee Siam, wet or dry? To be honest, up till now, I still cannot decide! I love it dry because all that flavour gets infused into the beehoon… but then, I love it wet too, because the taupok soaks up all that tangy, savoury goodness!

So what happens if you can’t decide? Easy — DO BOTH! One paste, two styles, double the shiokness.

Here’s how I do it…

Dry Mee Siam

Ingredients

1 packet beehoon (rice vermicelli), soaked and rehydrated

300g instant mee siam paste (I use Straits Kitchen by Tung San)

2–3 tbsp cooking oil

5 shallots, sliced

2 tbsp minced garlic

Toppings

Chives, cut into 1-inch lengths

Hard boiled eggs, quartered

Tofu puffs, toasted and diced

Method

• Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Saute shallots and garlic.

• Add the 300g mee siam paste and stir-fry for about 2–3 minutes until fragrant.

• Add rehydrated beehoon. Stir-fry the noodles, mixing thoroughly to coat them evenly with the paste.

• Add a splash of water if needed to loosen.

• Add chives and stir-fry for another 1 minute.

• Serve hot, topped with halved hard boiled eggs and diced toasted taupok and calamansi lime.

Wet Mee Siam (Broth)

Ingredients

1 packet beehoon (rice vermicelli), soaked and rehydrated

200g instant mee siam paste

500ml water

Toppings

Chives, finely cut into 0.5cm lengths

Hard boiled eggs, quartered

Tofu puffs, toasted and diced

Method

• In a pot, combine 200g mee siam paste with 500ml water.

• Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 5 minutes.

• Add finely chopped chives and diced toasted taupok.

• Ladle onto dried Mee Siam and serve with calamansi lime and fried shallots.

Whether you like it bold and dry or slurpy and saucy, Mee Siam hits the spot either way. Sometimes, you really don’t have to choose — just enjoy the best of both worlds!