Asian Recipes
Lunches at home during the summertime hold a special place in my heart. It was a happy and carefree time, being on school holidays, enjoying the warm weather, and always looking forward to the mid-meal of the day.
The wafting air of freshly fried onion flakes signaled that my tummy would be in for a delicious treat.
It would also signal that my mother was making one of my favourite noodle dishes: kolo mee.
Kolo Mee is a Sarawak Malaysian Chinese-style noodle which is characteristically dry. It’s loaded with ground pork and fragrant crispy fried onions.
“Kolo” comes from the Chinese translation “gon lo” or literally, “dry mix.”
Not to be confused with “wantan mee” or wonton noodles, which are noodles served in a soup broth, kolo mee is served dry with just enough sauce to coat the noodles.
INGREDIENTS IN KOLO MEE
Traditionally, kolo mee noodles are made with springy egg noodles topped with:
- minced pork (fried in lard)
- sliced BBQ pork (char siu)
- fish sauce or soy sauce
- MSG (monosodium glutamate)
- shallots
- white pepper
- fried onion
In addition, you can also include freshly made wontons, fish balls, and veggies such as choy sum or gai lan to round out the dish.
Sometimes, the noodles are served with a bowl of soup and soy sauce on the side so that you can adjust the saltiness to your liking.
The savoury ground pork is really the star of the dish. Traditionally, the pork is fried in lard and flavoured with MSG. In the interest of healthier and conscious eating, my version will be just as tasty.
For the ground pork, I like to choose lean ground pork so that the dish isn’t too heavy in terms of fat content. If you prefer a more rich flavour, you can definitely choose regular ground pork.
To give it that extra boost of flavour, I like to use a touch chicken bouillon powder to enhance that savoury factor.
Depending on preference, you can use fish sauce or soy sauce to flavour the meat. I’ve updated my recipe to use a combination of both light and dark soy sauce, along with shao xing wine, which further enhances flavour.
The drippings from the pork along with the flavourings will coat the noodles for this dry noodle dish.
TYPE OF NOODLES TO USE
For the simplicity of this recipe, you can purchase fresh egg noodles from an Asian supermarket.
However, you could also use your own egg noodles for this dish. Be sure to choose thin egg noodles and not wonton noodles, which aren’t as springy in texture.
If you can’t find thin egg noodles, you can use “lai mein” or “hand-pulled” noodles instead.
DELICIOUS TOPPINGS
Fried onions: give this dish that crunchy and aromatic factor. It it is a must-have for me.
Roasted BBQ pork (char siu): is a Chinese-style pork that has been roasted in a mixture of spices and honey and can be found usually in Chinatown at a Chinese BBQ shop. Tip: Ask the butcher for an unsliced pork tenderloin and slice it at home to whatever thickness you like.
Wontons: (fried or boiled).
Veggies: such as gai lan or yu choy help to balance out the dish.
Springy noodles paired with savoury pork and the sweet crunch of fried onions… it’s one of those dishes that keeps you coming back bite after bite.
Ultimately, that’s a good thing because you can enjoy kolo mee at any time of day in Malaysia — breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
One bite of this noodle dish and you’ll understand why this is one of Malaysia’s all-time favourite foods.
Kolo Mee (Malaysian-style Noodles)
A recipe for delicious dry Chinese-Malaysian noodles, loaded with savoury ground pork, BBQ pork char siu, wontons, and fragrant, crispy onion flakes.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Malaysian
Keyword kolo mee, konlo mee, Malaysian noodles
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings 4
Author Michelle | Sift & Simmer
Ingredients
Onion Flakes
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
Pork Mixture
- ½ Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 small shallots finely diced (or use ½ small onion if you don't have shallots)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb (454g) lean ground pork
- 1 tsp chicken boullion powder
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp shaoxing wine optional, for flavour
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 pkg 340g fresh egg noodles
Toppings
- ¼ lb roasted BBQ pork char siu, sliced
- 6-8 cooked wontons optional
- cooked yu choy or gai lan
- 1 green onion chopped
- pickled chilies optional
- hot sauce eg. sriracha or garlic hot sauce
Instructions
Fry the onion flakes:
- Heat a large wok over medium high heat. Add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil and add in the onion flakes.
- Lightly fry for about a minute by continuously stirring the onion flakes until golden brown (but not burnt) -- about 1 minute. Turn off the heat, and transfer the flakes into a small bowl. Set aside.
Fry the pork mixture:
- Using the same wok, turn on the heat to medium high and add in the ½ Tbsp oil, shallots and garlic. Fry until lightly fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Crank the heat up to high and add in the ground pork, breaking it up into small pieces. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink.
- Add in chicken boullion powder, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and white pepper. Mix to incorporate everything together. Turn off the heat and transfer the meat to a bowl.
Cook the noodles:
- Heat a large pot of water and let it come to a boil. Add in the egg noodles and cook according to package directions, about 2-3 minutes, or until al dente. Pour the noodles into a colander and rinse under cold water.
Assemble:
- Drain noodles and portion into serving bowls.
- Top the noodles with the 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the warm ground pork mixture, sliced BBQ pork (char siu), wontons, veggies (yu choy or gai lan), green onions, pickled chilies (optional), and fried onion flakes. Mix the bowl thoroughly and serve immediately.
This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Siftandsimmer.com. Thanks so much!
No comments :
Speak Your Mind: