Satay Bee Hoon (or rice vermicelli with spicy peanut sauce) is another one of my favourite Singaporean local eats because I just love the spices that go into the sauce and that very nutty flavour.

Peanuts are rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants that promote heart health but they are also very high in calories so for those watching your diet, you will have to go easy on the sauce. A satay bee hoon meal from the hawker centre can set you back anywhere between a whopping 800 – 1000 calories and the oilier it is, the worse it gets.

One good reason to make satay bee hoon at home is so we can control the amount (and type) of oil we use. If you notice my pictures, there is no floating layer of chilli oil on top but it’s still packed with robust flavours. What I did was to serve a little less bee hoon and up the portion of vegetables just to maximise the wholesomeness of the dish.

Satay Bee Hoon Recipe

Ingredients (serves 5-6)
200g bee hoon, soaked in water till fully constituted
100g tau pok (fried beancurd puffs), cut into smaller pieces
10-12 prawns, peeled with tails intact, blanched
200g cured cuttlefish, sliced into bite-sized pieces
250g lean pork, boiled & sliced
150g beansprouts, blanched
220g kang kong, blanched

Peanut sauce:
320g roasted peanuts, finely ground
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely ground
2 cups + 2 cups water
2 tbsp sunflower oil
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 heaped tbsp creamy peanut butter

Spice paste:
6 candlenuts
3 lemongrass, bottom white parts only
15 dried chillies, soaked in water to soften
75g shallots, peeled
4 cloves garlic
2 slices galangal, peeled
1/2 tbsp shrimp paste (belachan)
1/4 cup sunflower oil

Instructions
1. Blanch the bee hoon for 1 minute in a pot of hot boiling water. Drain and set aside.
2. To prepare the peanut sauce, place finely ground peanuts, 2 cups water and 2 tbsp oil in a saucepan and boil for 20 minutes on low heat.
3. Using a food processor, blend together all the spice paste ingredients (except oil) till fine.
4. Heat 1/4 cup oil in pan and fry spice paste till fragrant for about 10 minutes.
5. Add the spice paste into the peanut sauce followed by 2 cups of water. Season with salt and sugar and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add peanut butter and coarsely ground peanuts. Stir till the peanut butter dissolves and turn off heat.
7. Divide the bee hoon into serving plates, top with tau pok, prawns, cuttlefish, pork, bean sprouts and kang kong. Ladle the peanut sauce over and serve.

Tags: asian recipescookingfoodhome cookedhome cookinghomemadepeanut saucereciperecipesrice vermicelli recipessatay beehoon recipesatay saucesingapore recipesvermicelli recipe