Lor Mee (but Halal) - my HALAL-ified rendition of a classic Hokkien noodle dish
halal Lor Mee never tasted THIS GOOD!
A while back, I had the chance to cook with a friend from Converts Central, Kaven Siddique who converted to Islam at the young age of 20. Siddique and I wanted to surprise his mother and grandmother by cooking a ‘halal-ified’ version of a Chinese dish that he enjoys eating. The first thought that came to his mind was Lor Mee, a food he hasn't eaten for years since he converted due to the dish traditionally being made using pork belly.
His fond memories of eating this classic Hokkien dish involved enjoying the ones from highly-rated Ma Bo Lor Mee, after his swimming sessions in his teenage days.
After looking at the limited options for Halal-friendly Lor Mee around Singapore, I realised how they somehow lacked in terms of flavour and the variety of toppings that are otherwise offered in many non-halal Chinese hawker stalls. With determination and a some culinary research, I crafted a halal version which, according to our Chinese editor Sze Tying, comes really close to the real thing, if not better!
In this, I used duck as a replacement for pork which forms a meaty and umami base for the sauce. Note that this recipe also reflects a SUPER loaded version of Lor Mee where I piled on a variety of toppings - fried fish, fishcake, ngoh hiang, tofu, egg, wanton. However, Lor Mee is essentially a noodle dish where you can load up as many or as little toppings as you want - so feel free to omit or add them to your liking.
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Loaded Duck Lor Mee (but halal)
(serves 4-6)
4 medium-sized duck legs, rubbed with salt and rinsed twice to get rid of gamey flavours
meat marinade:
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp cooking caramel
2 tbsp oil
lor mee sauce:
10 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
3 inches ginger, roughly sliced
2 tbsp white peppercorns
2 sticks cinnamon, whole
3 star anise, whole
15 cloves, whole
5 tbsp dark soya sauce
3 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp cooking caramel
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 chicken stock cube
2 tbsp halal Chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang vinegar)
1/4 cup rock sugar
2.5 litres water
3 tbsp tapioca starch + 1/4 cup water (starch slurry)
Salt, to taste
fried wanton:
300g minced chicken
150g peeled fresh prawns, chopped fine
5 stalks spring onion, sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
Dash of white pepper powder
1 pkt wanton skin
fried fish:
250g snakehead fillet (ikan toman), sliced 1 inch thick
1/3 cup tapioca starch
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
1 egg white
1 tsp fish sauce
Dash of white pepper
other accompaniments:
1.5 kg Hokkien flat noodles
4 eggs
2 blocks tau kwa (firm tofu)
3-4 large ngoh hiang rolls (fish/prawn/chicken/mix)
3 large fried fishcake
3 tbsp sambal tumis
2 red chillies, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bunches Chinese celery, chopped
directions:
smear the duck evenly with the meat marinade. marinate for 1 hour.
in pot/pan on medium high heat, toast the whole spices (white peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon & cloves) while tossing frequently. once the aroma rises, add garlic and ginger and let them char on both sides. set aside.
in a soup pot, heat oil on medium heat. sear the duck, skin-side down until evenly browned. press onto the duck to get an even colour. this may take 2-3 minutes. flip the duck pieces and repeat.
introduce the charred garlic, ginger snd whole spices. pour in all the seasoning sauces except for vinegar. place in the stock cube. combine the water and let it come to a boil before lowering the heat. add the tau kwa. simmer gently, covered, for 1-1.5 hours.
after simmering, season to taste. strain out the duck and tau kwa and let them cool to room temperature. shred the duck and discared the bones. slice the tau kwa into cubes and set aside. pour the liquid through a strainer and discard the solids.
return liquid to the pot and add in vinegar and rock sugar to the liquid and simmer for 5 minutes. thicken the soup by adding the tapioca starch slurry and simmer for another 5 minutes.
to make the soft boiled eggs, submerge eggs in a pot of gently boiling water and cook for exactly 6 minutes. immediately submerge eggs into ice water before carefully peeling them.
reintroduce the shredded duck into the sauce and add in the eggs. set aside, covered for 30 minutes for the egg to absorb the flavour of the sauce.
to make wantons, combine all the filling ingredients (except for the wanton skin) and mix well. fill the the wanton skin with 2 tsp of filling, brush the edges with water, and simply bunch it up into a tight parcel.
for the fish, combine all the fried fish ingredients (except the sliced fish) in a bowl and whisk to combine. add the fish slices and and coat well with the batter
heat 1 litre oil for deep- frying. fry the ngoh hiang and fishcake briefly until golden brown and crisp. slice into thick pieces. fry the wantons until crisp and golden. fry the battered fish slices until lightly golden.
to assemble bowl, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and blanch the noodles. for 30 seconds. strain and transfer noodles to a bowl
pour the duck lor mee sauce onto the noodles. cut the egg into halves and arrange on top. assemble the ngoh hiang, fishcake, braised tau kwa, fried fish and wantons on top
finish with a small dollop of sambal tumis, 3-4 slices red chillies, Chinese celery, 2 tsp of minced garlic. duck lor mee is ready to serve!
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