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THERE are char siew noodles and there is char siew mee. It is no secret I am a big fan of this comfort pasta dish.
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| CRAZY ABOUT CHAR SIEW MEE: The Kuala Lumpur interpretation
of the dish is Seetoh's all-time favourite. PICTURES: MAKANSUTRA |
I am as Cantonese as they come and I have a particular intimacy with this old South Chinese makan. There's the heartwarming rendition from Hong Kong, a sadder version in Bangkok (the Teochews there aren't exactly the A-listers of char siew noodles), that sweetish, savoury and sometimes doused with, strangely, ketchup, Singapore version and my all-time favourite, the dark sauce Kuala Lumpur (KL) interpretation. I don't get that uber famous stall in Lavender - the queues had been there since I first noticed it, back in the days when the cheapest MRT ride was 80 cents (I kid you not). That spoon of noodle sauce comes strangely sweet, savoury and almost colourless. I've recreated that sensation using sugarcane juice, light soy and a splash of lard and cracklings.
Yes, strange, but it's strangely appealing. The accompanying char siew, I might as well take pork, smear it with pink lipstick, coat it with sugar and soy sauce and bake it. I'll not go there, but they have their fans and we hear their voices too. The only reason I figure why my buddies in Bangkok rave about the char siew noodles in Siam Square and that night stall beside the Nana BTS rail station along Sukhumvit is simple. They have been away for too long, and all that lemongrass and fish sauce has gone into their blood stream! Ah, but then, if you've traversed those little back alleys in the Chinese quarters of KL or in Petaling Jaya, in search of that unquestionably KL-style creation, then you have an idea of what I am going on about. To begin with, their char siew stares at you with a deliberately blacker and roastier (some just say more chow tar) than usual finish, simply because they don't dust it with red colouring and they pile a bit (but I think it's a lot) more sugar and thick dark soy sauce. Absolutely bewitching Their noodles are often served overflowing off a porcelain spoon, which holds the dark soy sauce. Swirl the kiew kiew (soft and resilient) noodles about with the chopsticks and it all goes tan, dark, slippery and absolutely bewitching. But then, I have to warn that not all stalls in KL serve up a version that can take your breath away. Many will, in fact, make you run away. So to save you that five-hour trip up north and embark on a fruitless search for that definitive KL char siew mee, I'll share this concoction, tested just last week, with expert touches and some secrets entrusted to me by some of these noodle masters in KL. Eat my words, they work, at least for me. Makansutra, founded by KF Seetoh, is a company that celebrates Asian food culture and lifestyle. It publishes food guides in and around the region, produces a food television series, develops interactive mobile content and services, operates food courts and eateries, organises food tours and events, and consults on culinary concepts.
Char siew mee recipe INGREDIENTS and marinate for char siew (for four): * Half kilogram of pork - lean with streaks of fat, ask for wu hua rou (five flowers meat) * 100gm white castor sugar * Half teaspoon of salt * 2 tablespoons (tbspn) of dark soy sauce Noodles and sauce: . Mee Kia (or thin egg wanton noodles) enough for 4 . 8 tbspn of lard or vegetable oil . 4 tbspn of sesame oil . 5 tbspn of dark soy sauce . 2 tbspn of oyster sauce Method: - Mix the char siew marinate and infuse the meat for about 21/2 hours in the fridge (flip the meat over halfway through). - Set the griller to 250 deg C and roast the meat for about 25 minutes on each side (adjust heat for roastiness according to preference). - Drizzle a little of the balance sauce over pork, every 10 minutes. Set aside when done. - Heat up the noodle sauce mix over low fire and set aside. - Blanch the noodles till firm and soft then cool it in a bowl of cold water to stem the cooking. - Strain or flick excess water and place on plate, pour two spoons of sauce, top it with some blanched chye sim vegetables and slice your char siew (make it chunkier, you deserve it). - Top it with some crispy shallots. 
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