Simple Versatility

Fried beehoon (rice vermicelli) is a firm favorite and a common staple of informal parties and gatherings in this part of the world. It is a very simple yet versatile dish that also travels fairly well. That is why it is very often a dish of choice for picnics. Yes, picnics. Sandwiches and salads are not the “traditional” or preferred picnic food for most South East Asians. I grew up on picnic food like chicken curry eaten with fried beehoon or chunks of crusty bread.

For one of our Christmas gatherings, we had added a plate of vegetarian fried bee hoon to the rest of the food spread to specially cater for a couple of friends who do not include animal protein in their diets. [This version is not strictly vegetarian (in the Buddhist sense) though, as it uses garlic and onion.]

My style of cooking fried beehoon is rather different from that used in restaurants, which utilizes very high and intense heat (wok-hei) and large amounts of oil to impart a tasty smokiness to the beehoon and to prevent the rice vermicelli from breaking apart. If I was to attempt to fry the beehoon in the same way on a home stove, all I would end up with would be small broken pieces of the vermicelli, instead of nice elegant long and whole strands. The trick is not to stir fry the vermicelli at all…

For the vegetarian version, I used carrots, cabbage, cai xin (green leafy vegetable with small yellow flowers) and Chinese dried mushrooms (rehydrated by boiling them in water with a little oil added), all julienned. Any combination of vegetables can be used. French beans instead of the cai xin, or fresh shitakes instead of Chinese mushrooms for example. I usually just try to include a nice mix of colors (green, red, orange, brown etc) in the vegetables for more eye appeal.

All the vegetables (except the cai xin) are first sautéed in a little hot oil with some minced garlic, and seasoned to taste with light soy sauce, a touch of oyster sauce and pepper. Some hot water (approximately ½ cup) is then added and the pan covered to allow the vegetables to cook through. Once tender, the vegetables are removed from the pan and set aside. Next, the cai xin are sautéed in the same manner, with minced garlic, and seasoned with light soy sauce only. For cai xin, however, I covered the pan only very briefly, as this vegetable (like all other green leafy vegetables) will turn a very unappetizing yellow if covered for too long. This is also set aside.

For the rice vermicelli itself: this needs to be rinsed under running water before being used. I usually use about 2 ½ “slabs” or ½ packet of the vermicelli for a 4-5 person serving.

To cook it: some minced garlic and shallots are sautéed in hot oil, before vegetable stock (approximately 1¾ cups) is added to the wok, along with approximately 1½ to 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 1½ to 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar, a dash of sesame oil, a little Chinese rice wine and pepper. The stock is allowed to come to a boil, before the beehoon is added. And this is the key: the vermicelli should be tossed continuously, using a pair of chopsticks, until all the stock has been absorbed. Care needs to be taken not to attempt to stir fry or sauté the vermicelli, as this will cause the strands to break into tiny pieces. Stock is continuously added until it is all absorbed and the vermicelli is at the desired tenderness. It’s a bit like cooking risotto I guess. From past experience, I find that about 1¾ cups of stock is generally needed for 2½ slabs of beehoon to achieve the ideal tenderness, and I normally add the full measure of stock right at the start, and do not need to add further amounts after that. However, the quantity of stock required could possibly vary with different makes of vermicelli and possibly even ambient humidity.

After the beehoon has been cooked through, all the cooked vegetables are returned to the wok, and tossed with the beehoon to mix well. At this point, it is possible to add more seasonings if the taste is still not quite there yet.

Very often, fried beehoon is served with the side condiment of sliced vinegared green chilli in light soy sauce. One can also sprinkle some crispy deep fried shallots slices over the top for an added tasty crunch.

Variations:
All types of ingredients, according to personal desires or just whatever is in the fridge/pantry, can be used in cooking fried beehoon. Any of the following, in any combination can be used:

• Strips of char siew (roast pork)
• Cooked fresh prawns
• Egg omelet (lightly beat a few eggs with a fork, season with pepper and light soy sauce, pan-fry into a thin omelet, and cut into strips)
• Strips of chicken (marinade with light soy sauce, a little sugar, a touch of sesame oil, and tiny bit of cornflour, sauté with minced garlic and shallots and set aside)
• Strips of tau kwa (pressed firm tofu) (saute with minced garlic and some seasonings)
• Strips of tau pok (deep fried tofu pockets)
• Hae bee (dried baby shrimps) (saute in a little hot oil with some minced garlic until fragrant - sambal or chilli paste can also be added for sambal hae bee)
• Strips of fresh red chilli
• Chicken stock instead of vegetable stock (I usually prefer using chicken stock actually, if not required to make a non-animal-protein version, as I feel it provides fuller flavors than vegetable stock)
• Pretty much anything that takes your fancy…

Just toss the various cooked ingredients with the cooked vermicelli right at the end, before serving.

Happy Fried Beehoon-ing!

Copyright © 2003 Renee Kho. All rights reserved.
Please contact me for permission to copy, distribute or display any of the images and text contained in this article.