Ipoh Hor Fun Stock

Peony cooked some Ipoh Hor Fun Soup and she was wondering why her hor fun soup tasted different from the one in Ipoh.

Well, for one I can assure you, its the HOR FUN - This ribbon rice noodle is made using the relatively hard water from their karstic limestone mountain. Secondly, a lot of ingredient is used to make this soup tasty. I have tried similar recipe like Peony's but found that they aren't the same. Using chicken stock and prawn shell dont make a good stock for this dish.

What you will need is - SORRY NON HALAL - pork bone. Especially the ribs. Anyway, here's the recipe from one of my chef. I modified as the quantity given was kinda confusing.

You will need : approximately for 10 bowls

400 ml water
1/2 a chicken carcass
250 gm of mixed pork bone ( for muslim, pls forget this ingredient , it will be slightly different in taste though. Just increase the chicken carcass)
30 gm Har Kok - similar to dried shrimp but much smaller in size. They are only 1 cm in length. The same species used to make cincalok.
100 gm dried shrimp
50 gm rock sugar
20gm salt
a pinch of pepper
100 gm sweet turnip

1) Trimmed carcass of fats. Blanch the carcass and the pork bones in hot boiling water. Remove and place under running water to rid of scums. Set aside.
2) Soaked dried shrimp and har kok for at least 30 minutes changing water 2 - 3 times to rid as much salt as possible.
3) Cut the sweet turnip into strips of about 1/2 by 3 inches long.
4) Place all ingredient in a muslin / cheese cloth. You can actually use the flour bag from the so called HK Flour ( for making delish pao ) or look for one.......dont use baby napkin ok? unless its new...then you might need 3 - 4 pieces of it. Secure with kitchen string.
5) Boil a pot of water and place the muslin cloth bag into the boiling water. Reduce to low heat and simmer for at least 2 - 3 hours. Remove the bag before serving. You can actually throw the ingredient as they will be tasteless now.

Meantime, get ready your chicken strip, deveined and deshelled prawn, chives, beansprout and hor fun ready. Remember the reddish oil, well thats NOT chilli oil but prawn flavoured oil. Clean the peeled prawn shell and remove as much liquid / water as possible. In a hot pot or wok, no oil, pour the shell into it and stir them until the oil oozes out from the shell. Its terrible ordeal during this time though......PONG! Once the oil oozes out you will see the prawn shell simmering in the oil, remove and strain. Cool till use.

Once stock is ready, do check on seasoning. You are now ready for your HOR FUN SOUP.

Blanch your hor fun and beansprout in hot boiling water for a few seconds. Strain and place in a bowl ( big enough to add other ingredients and your soup base lar ). Garnish with chicken strips, halves boiled / poached prawn, pre cut chives ( about an inch long ) and pour hot soup over them. Drizzle some prawn oil and voila - Jiak , Sek, Makan, Eat, An, Sit, whatever.....just grab a pair of chopstick and dig into the bowl................................................


SYIOK ! .................

cheers !