Foodie

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Wat Than Hor

Back in Malaysia, fresh Hor fun or rather koay teow(hokkien) is so readily available. There used to be only one type and the size determines whether it is meant for frying or for soup. But, nowadays, the ones for soup, although the size is still smaller is made specially for soup. The best ones are found in Ipoh. Here in Denver, you will be lucky if you can find them not so frozen and who knows how long they have been on the shelves. There is a brand which is 'Southern California' which i managed to get from the Korean store that i frequent, but they did not replenish when stock went out. They have at the moment hor fun made in Denver, which is more rough. There is no choice but to go for the dried ones. Surprisingly, if it is steeped properly and being able to recognize the texture when frying, a delicious plate of noodles can be dished out.

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs hor fun(frying type)
4 tbsp oil
2 tsp soya sauce
2 tsp dark soya sauce

Gravy:

4 ozs prawns - shelled and deveined - marinated with a pinch of salt, sugar and pepper
4 ozs calamari
8 ozs lean pork/chicken
8 ozs choy sum - washed and cut into bit size
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp cornflour(heaped) mixed with 1/2 cup water
28 fl ozs stock
1 tbsp soya sauce
2 eggs
pepper and salt to taste

Method:

Loosen the fresh hor fun. (i would have to steam the hor fun before i could loosen it as it is quite stiff refrigerated.) (For the dried ones, steep in cold water)

Heat wok until very hot, add in enough oil to grease the wok, over hot fire, fry a handful of the the hor fun . Add light and dark soya sauces and stir fry briskly. Allow noodles to burn a little at the edges to obtain a smaky taste. Put aside on a platter. Repeat with the rest of the hor fun.

Heat 1 tbsp oil and fry prawns and calamari until cooked. Dished out.

Add 1 tbsp oil and fry the pork until it is cooked. Add in garlic and fry until fragrant.

Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add in the choy sum and when gravy comes to a boil, add in the cornflour mixture. Bring gravy back to a hard boil to cook the cornflour.

Add in the cooked prawns and calamari. Season to taste.

Turn off heat and crack in the 2 eggs, stir to cook the eggs.

Dish gravy onto the fried hor fun.


Serves

24 comments:

J said...

Well done, Lily. I can't tell that it is made from dried kway teow.

jadepearl said...

Wah...watan hor with dried kway teow! You go, girl!!!

FooDcrazEE said...

wow! superbly done with dried k/teow.

Little Corner of Mine said...

I realized this 2 years back as well, as long as we don't over boiled the noodle, it will come out just as good, almost can't tell the difference really.

But since I can get fresh kway teow at Lee Hing's for $1.69, AND I found out that I can freeze it and after thawing the end result is still the same or as good (easier to peel it off as well). I stick to fresh kway teow instead. Going to fry pork kway teow this Friday. :)

Unknown said...

ching

is the kway teow made in denver? it is not so good, more thick. the one i can get from downtown is brand' southern california' and it is the best. i must remind myself to buy more for the freezer when we go yum cha downtown.

Little Corner of Mine said...

Oh yeah, it is made in Denver. I didn't even know until I went to the freezer to check. It's the only brand Lee Hing's has though, no other selection and it's cheaper than Pacific Ocean. No idea on the brand you mentioned, show me next time I go visit you, ok. :)

Anonymous said...

I did a beta version of this dish today with your recipe. I used dried rice flat noodle. It worked really well, much better than I thought it would. For a first try, it was much better than I thought it was going to turn out. Thank you for your recipe!!!

Anonymous said...

This dish is now one of my family's fav now. My wife who is white loves it. We found wet flat noodles for this and it tastes MUCHO better than the dried flat version. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

speedolight

was wondering why you were mia, guessed you could have taken a vacation home. anyway welcome back from where ever you were. if you should be coming my way in denver, please come and visit.

Try the wat than with mei fun and of course you have to 'heong tae' first.

Anonymous said...

Lily,

Can you enlighten me with some wat tan ngau yuk ho recipe. basically i guess just follow wut u have done there for wat than hor but how do they make the beef SO TENDER??

Cheers
Bee

Unknown said...

bee

are you thinking of 'keong choong ngau hor'?

the noodles part is the same.

the beef is sliced against the the grain and marinate with soya sauce, oyster sauce, wine, ginger juice, egg white, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and cornstarchfor at least one hour. add some oil to the marinated meat.

heat alot of oil and cook the meat. this has to be quick. as soon as the meat changes color, it is done.

Anonymous said...

Aha...
I will try it as soon as i get some decent beef then!! THANKS A LOT, Lily!

Anonymous said...

Lily, add 2 tsp chinese wine, it will transform your wat than hor. Trust me I use to live in the house above the famous Ipoh wat than hor stall.

Unknown said...

foo

thanks for the tip. i bet you the wine will certainly enhance the egg.

must remember to add the wine the next time i cook this dish

thanks

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily...

Fry some dried bee hoon in hot oil.
It'll turn crispy white.
Put it on top of the fried hor fun.
Pour the gravy on top.

You just transform Wat Than Hor to Kong Foo Yin Yeong.

p/s: need to eat it fast.If not the bee hoon turn soggy n you can't have that soft n crispy feeling in your mouth.

*the fried bee hoon also goes well with porridge...love it best with da Siew Chu Kuat Chuk (Roast Pig's bone Porridge)~ some peasant dish :)

And yes.. Ipoh hor fun n kway teow is the best!!! woo hoo!! =D

Unknown said...

saimui

sounded like you have the same taste as we do. yes, siew chee kuat is the best and sometimes i will sub with ham bones

Anonymous said...

Lily...

Me also M'sian ma...
but am working in S'pore - not as bad.
S'porean tongue is still diff of us M'sians.
So kinda difficult to taste home food here and at times have to cook myself when too homesick... :)

Anonymous said...

Hello Lily...

I am in Texas now I have been in here for 2 years. You are the best. I make wat tan ho few weeks ago and love it. Thanks you so much!!

H Ping said...

Hi, I'm just came across this recipe and thinking of trying it out. However quite confused with the measurement 28fl oz stock. How many ml is that?

Unknown said...

h ping

28fl oz is about 3 1/2 cups or 920 ml.

Anonymous said...

Help lily. Can I ask what is Choy sum?

Unknown said...

anonymous

choy sum is in cantonese for mustard green - a leafy vegetable

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily,
How long should I soak the dried kway teow? Thanks

Unknown said...

anonymous

it depends on the temperature of the water, if it is warmer it takes shorter time but don't use too hot. if the soaked kway teow is a little hard, sprinkle water as you fry.

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