Braised Chinese Rice Vermicelli/Bee Hoon Recipe

Chinese rice vermicelli noodles or bee hoon is a common Chinese noodle used in noodle soups or are braised/stir-fried. It comes in a dried form, a pack of 400g and I like to use Tai Sun brand. It is very recognisable with its two red chillis printed on the packaging. You can get a pack from supermarkets like NTUC at $1.25 and it has a serving size of 8-10. If you are not using all at a go, simply break away the portion you require and tie up the bag with a rubber band.

When you stir-frying these noodles, you will need some good stock for the noodles to absorb the flavours. To keep things simple, my family likes to use canned stewed meat or pork leg with mushroom. Either brands Gulong or Narcissus works. Gulong stewed pork goes for $2.50 (250g) whereas Narcissus goes for $2.85 (250g). Narcissus pork leg with mushroom goes for $3.95 (400g). The idea is to allow the noodles to absorb the sweetness of the stewed meat so don't throw away the brine/stew which comes with the meat!



You can also add any ingredients you have in your pantry, seafood, meat, vegetables. The concept is the same as fried rice - add whatever you have on hand. It is a good way to clear your fridge.

Ingredients
1 pack/400g of dried bee hoon (I used Tai Sun brand)
1 can/250g of stewed meat (I used Gulong brand)
Meat/seafood (I used ham)
2 pieces of fish cake (I used Bobo big flat fish cake)
1 head of cabbage (You can also add in bean sprouts, any leafy vegtables like xiao bai cai, etc.)
4-5 cloves garlic

Oyster sauce
Dark soy sauce
Light soy sauce
White pepper

1. Soak noodles in water before 30-45 minutes before use

2. Prepare other ingredients. Cut and wash cabbage, open stewed pork can, mince garlic, cut up meat/ham

3. In a heated wok, fry garlic till fragrant

4. Add in cabbage and fish cake and cook till vegetables soften slightly

5. Add in meat/ham.

6. Add in stewed pork. Season with white pepper, oyster sauce, light soy sauce sauce and dark soy sauce; start with 2 tbsps of oyster sauce, 2 tbsps of light soy sauce and 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce. Adjust and add till preferred taste.

7. Add in pre-soaked rice vermicelli/bee hoon

8. Simmer noodles till soft or when the sauce has almost dried up. Add more water if necessary. The noodles are ready to be served

Tips

You can top of noodles with some fried shallots and spring onions for extra oomph

If you like your noodles to have a more intense flavour, you can use a richer stock. Otherwise, you can mix the noodles with a bit of tomato ketchup or chilli sauce, a good choice would be SinSin Garlic Chilli (think McDonald's chilli sauce)

The noodles can be kept in the fridge for a day or two but note that each time you reheat the noodles, they lose their "springy-ness" and becomes softer/"mushy-er"

This may not be the most authentic braised rice vermicelli/bee hoon recipe but it is a simple dish you can make in under an hour with whatever you have in your pantry. 

Quick and fuss-free meal