The Noodle Series: Crunchy Yee Mee Yin Yong Style

Continuing on with my noodle series, this is an easy number but delicious nonetheless. Yee Mee or Yi Noodles as per Cook’s Thesaurus are flat patties of egg noodles that are formed into round patties, fried and then dried. Although, I could not sight egg listed anywhere as an ingredient on the packet of yee mee I bought. 🙄 Readily available at asian grocery stores, this is what yee mee looks like. There are usually 5 patties of noodles per packet.

I consider Yee Mee pre-cooked so the noodles will soften in no time. In fact, for my Yee Mee tonight, I did not braise or cook it at all; merely poured the hot gravy over the patty or noodle cake in a bowl and let it soak up all the flavours. However, if you do like softer noodles (as mine is slightly crispy the way I like it), you may zap the gravy-soaked noodles in the microwave for a minute or so, or just braise it for a little while on the stove. I’ve also added a twist to my Yee Mee tonight by adding fried raw rice vermicelli for a varied texture from the soft spongy Yee Mee. But just plain Yee Mee is good enough as it has a unique wheat-ish flavour. I must say my Yee Mee tonight was yummy and the dried chinese mushroom (shitake) played a big part in the flavour so tuck in and enjoy. 

Ingredients
Serves 2

2 Yee Mee Patties – place one on each serving bowl
100g prawns (about 10 pieces)
150g chicken thigh – sliced thinly into strips
6 pieces Dried Chinese Mushrooms
70g Choy Sum
3 cloves garlic – minced
1/2 cup 4cm strips of spring onion (including stalk)
1/2 cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
1 egg
3 1/2 cup stock – (mine was 1 teaspoon of chicken stock powder dissolved in 3 1/2 cup hot water)
1/2 cup corn starch water (1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch diluted in COLD water)
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce/caramel sauce

Other on hand seasoning
Salt
White Pepper
Sugar
Sesame Oil
Chinese Rice Wine (Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chiew)

Optional: Fried Rice Vermicelli
60 g rice vermicelli
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Method

  1. Soak mushrooms in warm water for about an hour. To speed up, use boiling water. Once softened, trim off the stalks and drain the liquid.
  2. Marinate prawns with a pinch salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
  3. Marinate chicken strips with pinch of salt, dash of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon rice wine and 1/2 teaspoon corn starch.
  4. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok; when it’s almost smoking, add the chicken strips and minced garlic and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
  5. Add the prawns to the chicken and cook for another 2 minutes untill prawns are cooked. Dish them out for later.
  6. Pour stock into the wok; add the soaked chinese mushrooms and bring to the boil.
  7. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and dark soy sauce and a dash of pepper; simmer for 10 minutes.
  8. Bring back up to the boil and toss in the choy sum; cook for 1 minute
  9. Add back the cooked prawns and chicken strips.
  10. Stir in the cornstarch water and cook for another 1 minute; sauce will thicken. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt.
  11. Turn off the stove and whisk in one egg. Throw in the spring onion and coriander leaves. Mix well.
  12. Immediately pour the gravy onto the yee mee. Mix through and serve whilst hot.

For the optional Fried Rice Vermicelli, heat up the 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok prior to making the gravy. Add dry rice vermicelli and fry until crispy (about 1 minute) taking care not to burn it. Dish out and drain on a paper towel. Present it on top of the yee mee. And pour the gravy over as per step 12.

Note: If you prefer softer noodles, you may dump in the noodle cakes into the gravy at step 10 and let cook for 1 minute before whisking in the egg. Alternatively, mix all the noodles in the serving bowl and microwave for 1 minute.

 Yee Mee

Yee Mee with additional fried raw rice vermicelli

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1 comment to The Noodle Series: Crunchy Yee Mee Yin Yong Style

  • Yu May

    oooo looks so yummy!!! Love the bowls. Good to slurp the gravy after all that yummy yee mee is gone.