Vegetarian Mee Siam - one for our plant-based friends!
who says plant-based Malay food can't be good?
we love taking on new challenges! this time, we attempted to create a vegan version of Mee Siam for our friends at ACRES! check out the recipe!
Vegetarian Mee Siam
rempah:
55g dried red chillies, soaked in hot water till softened
10 shallots, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled
5 candlenuts, soaked in hot water
1/2 cup oil
4 tbsp crushed peanuts
1/4 cup taucheo, roughly mashed
2 tbsp tamarind paste (asam jawa)
1.5 litres water
2 tbsp mushroom seasoning
2 tbsp brown sugar / gula melaka
200 ml coconut milk
400g beehoon (thin rice vermicelli), soaked in water for until soft
salt, to taste
6 calamansi, halved
5 sprigs garlic chives (koochye), cut into 2 inches
3 @thekampungvegan style vegan eggs (optional)
150g taupok (tofu puffs), halved
1/2 cup vegetarian sambal tumis (optional)
directions:
blend all the rempah ingredients into a smooth paste
heat 1/2 cup oil in a pot on medium heat. once the oil is almost smoking, pour in the paste and fry while stirring constantly until the oil starts to split. remove 3 tbsp of the paste and reserve for the beehoon.
add water and let the gravy come up to a boil. bring down the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, covered. add the mushroom seasoning, ground peanuts, mashed taucheo and tamarind paste. simmer for 5 minutes and stir in the coconut milk.
simmer gently for another 5 minutes. season with sugar and salt and add in the taupok to soak the in gravy. the gravy should have a balance of salty, sweet and spicy.
in a wok, heat 3 tbsp of oil and saute the reserved sambal paste. add 1/2 cup water and the soaked beehoon. stir fry until the beehoon soaks up the sambal paste evenly and become soft.
to assemble, arrange the fried beehoon in a bowl and pour over the gravy. With a few pieces of taupok. Garnish with 2 halves of a lime, garlic chives, vegan egg and a dollop of sambal tumis.
for more recipes within the ‘Mee Siam-sphere’, check these 3 recipes out!:
mee siam kering - the dish that can feed a village
·whenever people ask me what my favourite dishes are growing up, my mom’s Dry Mee Siam comes instantly comes to mind.
mee siam - an old-school dish to bring on the nostalgia <3
·mee siam is one of the dishes that I don’t mind having for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I believe it is the balance of sweet, sour, and heat that makes you wanting to go back for more! it’s especially a great option if you are looking for something refreshing, and light on the stomach.
Who’da thought I'd find racial harmony in this Mee Siam Biryani??
·i’m sure everyone has heard of mee siam and biryani but have you heard of mee siam biryani? this special dish is a perfect combination of the 2 cuisines and trust me when i say it packs a whole lot of SPICE!! be warned…