A few weeks ago, my wife S and I were scheduled to cook dinner for some rather important foodie friends that were visiting from London. However, that week and the week prior to the dinner party were crazy busy for both of us. As the date got closer and closer, we knew we were in trouble. There was simply no way we were going to be able to serve up a meal worthy of these world class eaters.
Fortunately, one of the local guests at the dinner was Chef Jeremy Nguee. In a hail Mary move, we called him and asked if he’d be interested in not just attending the dinner, but also in preparing all of the food. Thankfully, he said yes. The menu he whipped up was awesome. We started the meal with this amazing mee pok topped with scrambled crab roe.
After the noodles, Jeremy then served up a roasted, boneless suckling pig that he had stuffed with a mushroom and chestnut sticky rice. This was accompanied by several side dishes, all of which were super tasty.
As you can see from the pictures, Chef Willin Low also dropped in. Unfortunately, because he was (technically) working that night, Willin left early. But he also came early, hanging out with Jeremy and me in the kitchen while Jeremy prepped the evening’s meal. The three of us also worked our way through several cocktails during that time — which, I have always believed, is the best way to cook with company.
I’ve asked Jeremy to share his Scrambled Crab Roe Mee Pok recipe, which is below. It’s really pretty fricking awesome so if you are a crab fan, be sure to give it a go. If you need to find good crab roe, some of the crab suppliers in Tekka market sell it freshly picked.
Scrambled Crab Roe Mee Pok
Prawn Stock Base
2kg Tiger Prawns, heads and shells removed and set aside separately
200g Dried Shrimp
3 tbsp canola oil
2.5 litres of filtered water
Heat oil in a large stock pot and fry prawn heads and dried shrimp until prawn heads turn orange and dried shrimp is toasty and fragrant. About 10 minutes. Add the water and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim any scum from the surface.
With a hand blender (immersion blender), blend the prawn head and dried shrimp into the water. The water should be orange and have a shiny red sheen on the surface.
Pork Stock Base
Remaining prawn shells
10 shallots, with the outermost skins peeled
6 cloves of garlic with the skins on
10 white peppercorns
200g Ikan Bilis, the ones with heads and innards removed. Rinse and drain dry
1kg pork trotters, split. Scalded with water and rinsed well to remove grits and blood
2.5 litres of water
4 tbsp Canola Oil
Heat oil in a stock pot. When the oil is hot, fry prawn shells, shallots, garlic, peppercorns and ikan biilis until the shells are orange and the ingredients are fragrant. The Ikan bilis should be lightly toasted. About 15 minutes. Add the pork trotters and add enough water to cover the bones and shells. Bring to a slow rollling boil and simmer for 2 hours, topping up the water if necessary.
Strain the pork stock into the prawn stock base discarding the stock ingredients.
Noodle Ingredients
Serves 4 persons
400g Braising Noodles (I used a pulled wheat noodle that day)
1 tbsp canola oil
5 cups prawn stock
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tbsp fish sauce
Soya sauce and salt to taste
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
16 prawns, de-vein and butterfly
(Scallops are great too)
Optional vegetables
Sugar snaps
Baby Corn
Spring onion
Shumeji mushrooms
Carrot
In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil and garlic. Do not let the garlic brown, when the garlic is fragrant, add the noodles to the pan and toss well. Then gradually add the stock to the noodles, covering the noodles with a lid between each ladle of stock. When the stock is fully incorporated add the bean sprouts if using.
While the noodle is braising, each the oil and garlic in another pan. When the garlic is fragrant, add the prawns and squid. Add a little prawn stock and cover to cook completely. When they are cooked, toss them into the braised noodles or set aside if you are plating each dish individually. Pour over any juices that remain in the pan onto the noodles.
Scrambled Crab Roe
300g Crab Roe
150g Whole Milk
2 tsp canola oil
Salt and pepper
Blend crab roe together with milk.
Over a low fire heat the oil and add the crab roe mixture. Gently scramble the eggs and season to taste. Spoon over the noodles just before serving.
About Aun Koh
Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!
