There used to be a really popular minced meat noodles stall (Joo Heng Bak Chor Mee) at the hawker centre near my home but ever since the boss decided to retire a couple of months ago, there really wasn’t a good enough substitute in the vicinity that could be on par with it. This also means I haven’t had the chance to enjoy a good bowl of bak chor mee for a long while. Joo Heng’s winning formula was their braised mushrooms in a mini slow cooker which they’d ladle over every bowl of noodles before serving to the customer. And I decided to come up with my own version which is tasty and healthy (no pork lard) at the same time.

Bak Chor Mee Recipe

Ingredients (serves 4)
400g fresh egg noodles (4 bundles)
200g thinly sliced pork belly
100g minced pork
80g pork liver, sliced
50g dried chinese mushrooms, sliced
200g bean sprouts
chinese lettuce
chopped spring onions

Noodle marinade: (combine in a bowl)
2 tbsp Chin Kiang black vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce

Mushroom marinade:
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp corn flour

Instructions
1. Place a few leaves of chinese lettuce in each serving bowl.
2. In a small pot, bring the mushroom marinade to a boil and add in the mushrooms. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Blanch the pork belly, minced pork, pork liver and bean sprouts separately in a pot of boiling water. Set aside.
4. Using the same pot of boiling water, add the egg noodles (one bundle at a time) and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Remove the noodles and run under tap water for 10 seconds. Return the noodles to the boiling water for another 20 seconds. Remove and toss in 1 1/2 tbsp of the noodle marinade and transfer to the bowl with the chinese lettuce. Repeat with the rest of the noodles.
5. Arrange the pork belly, minced pork, pork liver and bean sprouts on top of the noodles and ladle the braised mushrooms over. Garnish with some chopped spring onions and serve.

And of course if you like some soup to go with the noodles, just season the pot of water which the ingredients were blanched in earlier with some salt and/or chicken seasoning powder.

For a first attempt, I was delighted with the braising sauce that really gave the noodles a rich and intense flavour. With a generous helping of ingredients, this was really quite a feast of textures from the crunchiness of the lettuce and bean sprouts, the tenderness of the liver and pork belly to the smoothness of the fragrant mushrooms. I can cook this again now! Bon appetit!

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