Wat Tan Hor (Flat Rice Noodles in Egg Gravy)

 

I knew that Z didn't fancy eating rice noodles, but I have never cooked this for him before. So I thought I'd give it a shot, and prepared it for tonight's dinner. I had bought some fish and pork, so I used that together with some fishcake and choy sum for this dish. You can use other types of meat, seafood or vegetables, as the star of the dish is the thick and creamy egg-laden gravy that coats the rice noodles and gives it the distinctive slurp factor.

When I first served it to Z, he frowned and complained "I don't like these noodles!". Oh oh. That came too soon, but just as I expected. I offered to top the noodles with some of his favourite crispy fried onions (shallots), and he reluctantly agreed to eat it (only because of the onions). I did just that, and then left him to eat his dinner. A few minutes later, I checked on his progress and noticed that he was quickly (and happily) slurping up his noodles! Ahh....what makes a mother happier than to see her children enjoying the food that she cooks. And he finished it too!



A hit with the kids, here's the recipe for tonight's winning dish:



Rice noodles covered in thick and creamy egg gravy

Wat Tan Hor (Flat Rice Noodles in Egg Gravy)
(recipe updated May 2014)

Ingredients

500g flat rice noodles
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp Cheong Chan thick caramel
Vegetable oil for frying

Meat and vegetables:
Sliced pork/chicken (seasoned with salt, pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornflour and a pinch of baking soda)
Prawns / squid (seasoned with salt, pepper and a pinch of baking soda)
Sliced fish cake or crab sticks
Asian greens (e.g. choy sum or baby bok choy) blanched in boiling water and drained
Crispy fried shallots

Sauce ingredients:
4 cups fresh hot chicken stock*
1 tbsp chinese cooking wine (optional)
1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce, or to taste
3/4 tsp chicken stock powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Cheong Chan thick caramel (for colour, optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Thickening:
2 tsp tapioca/potato starch combined with 3 tbsp water **
2 eggs, beaten

Note:
* Best to make fresh chicken stock, which I did by boiling a chicken carcass with one brown onion (quartered) and 2 carrots. Season with salt and pepper
** The consistency of the gravy needs to be thick enough (not watery) in order to coat the rice noodles effectively, so adjust the amount of starch used if necessary.

Method:

1. Heat up 3 tbsp oil in the wok and fry the rice noodles, adding light soy and dark soy. Fry on high heat for about 2 minutes, allowing the noodles to sear until slightly charred. Transfer to a large serving dish / bowl and top with blanched choy sum or bok choy.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp oil in the wok and fry the sliced meat until almost cooked. Push it aside and add the garlic to fry. Add the fish cake to lightly brown. Next, add sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Add the prawns and squid at this stage. Check for seasoning. Add more broth or water if the sauce has reduced.
3. To the simmering broth in the wok, add starch mixture, stir until it comes to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add beaten eggs and stir quickly until eggs start too cook and gravy turns opaque and creamy. Ladle the gravy over the noodles. Top with crispy fried shallots and serve immediately, preferably with some pickled green chillies.