During lockdown, I tried making one of my go-to meals when I was growing up — Rou Cuo Mian, colloquially known as Bak Chor Mee (translates as minced pork noodles). It was my first time making it, so I made it up as I went along. And due to difficulties in sourcing the traditional ingredients where I was, I used many substitutes, such as boiled eggs instead of fishballs (silly, I know, but they are both white and round!), and missed out the black vinegar (a key item!). The end result wasn’t bad, but didn’t really taste much like the real thing. I vowed to try again using all the proper stuff, so fast forward a couple of years and I made another attempt as you can see in the pics.
That was over a year ago, and I haven’t made it since, nor am I likely to anytime soon. Not because it turned out to be a disaster… far from it as it truly tasted the part (though I should have got thinner noodles). Not only did I include actual fishballs (bought frozen from a newly-opened Asian supermarket near me… truly a godsend), I even went to the extent of making you zha (crispy pork lardons) because I do not believe Bak Chor Mee is complete without this topping. The problem is the amount of prep involved, much more than what my Spoonie self bargained for! Since then, I have developed even more respect for the hawker aunties and uncles who probably get up at 4am to get everything ready for their stalls.
To be fair, the recipe is quite simple and there’s not a lot that can go wrong, but this is a time-consuming dish to assemble, and also requires multi-tasking (something I have never been great at). If you are interested in trying it out, I got my inspiration from Marvellina, The Meatmen, and To Food with Love. Personally, I’d rather pay for a plane or train ticket to take me to wherever sells these noodles than turn my kitchen upside down again. Perhaps I should just accept that my calling leans more towards the act of eating than cooking.
Another top pick of mine — Pidan Zhou — is definitely an acquired taste, but is far easier to make. April weather is often very unsettled, and though we have been blessed with some lovely sunshine of late, I was nonetheless craving some hearty soul-warming food from my childhood, so my thoughts immediately went to rice porridge (aka congee). For those of you unfamiliar with zhou, it’s similar to risotto, except you don’t need to gradually add the broth/stock to the rice. It’s pretty much a one-pot meal.
You literally dump everything in to cook with the rice — lots of water, minced pork/chicken, and optional dried scallops (after 30mins of soaking in hot water… that water can also be used since it’s now full of flavour) for added umami. Stir it every now and then, and when it’s reached a consistency to your liking (pour in more water if you don’t like it too thick), mix in the de-shelled, rinsed and quartered century egg. Serve with lashings of sesame oil, light soy sauce and white pepper, plus your choice of garnish like ginger, coriander, and/or spring onions.
As multicultural as Blackpool is becoming, there are still not many F&B places that specialise in authentic Singaporean/Malaysian or Chinese cuisine, which means I shall have to rely on my own meagre culinary skills. Even the wonderful Wok Inn, which comes close (especially with their Roti Prata/Canai), doesn’t have my all-time favourites like Nonya Laksa, Hainanese Chicken Rice (with the skin poached, not roasted), or Shao Rou (aka Siu Yuk, crispy belly pork) on their menu. Sadly, my own efforts at rustling up the latter two have previously been failures. If I do try again, I will share the outcome. Otherwise, Part 2 will be featuring other dishes!
