tom yam bee hoon (rice vermicelli)

This is my mother's recipe for tom yam rice vermicelli. When she fried these noodles on 24 June 2009, she did not have time to do some grocery shopping. As such, she made do with whatever ingredients she had in the larder and refrigerator. The ingredients in this recipe are as per what my mother cooked on that day. Do check out the tip at the end of this post for variations of the tom yam rice vermicelli.

INGREDIENTS

cooking oil

4 to 5 cloves garlic (chopped)

300g to 400g lean pork (sliced and marinated with light sauce, pepper, sesame oil and cornstarch)

12 dried Chinese mushrooms (soaked and sliced)

1 can button mushrooms (sliced)

4 tbsp tom yam paste

2 bowls hot water

sugar (to taste)

1 packet rice vermicelli (washed and drained - do not soak)

chilli dried prawns (for garnishing)

METHOD

1. Fry the garlic in some oil until fragrant.

2. Add the pork, Chinese mushrooms and button mushrooms and fry until cooked.

3. Add the tom yam paste and hot water and stir well. Add sugar to taste.

4. Add the rice vermicelli and mix with the ingredients using large chopsticks.

5. Serve onto plates and garnish with chilli dried prawns.

TIPS

Usually, when Tuayi and my mother fry tom yam rice vermicelli, they would add a lot of vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, green leafy vegetables. The inclusion of vegetables makes the dish sweeter. Tuayi is a vegetarian and hence, she would omit the pork and the dried prawns.

Hi Tuayi and Ma - any other tips to add?