Recipe :: Taiwanese Fried Rice Vermicelli

Kinda cravingTaiwanese Fried Rice Vermicelli 台式炒米粉 lately. Used to order this pretty often at one of my fave Taiwanese joints, whenever I was out of ideas for dinner and just wanted simple comfort food. The serving was always huge and it made great leftover the next day as lunch. It’s pretty simple to make at home; I think every Asian mother knows how to cook one version of fried rice vermicelli or another. I think what makes this version Taiwanese is the inclusion of Chinese Five-Spice Powder 五香粉 and Dried Shrimp 蝦米. Mmmmmm, I love Taiwanese food. :9

Here’s how to make Taiwanese Fried Rice Vermicelli at home.

Ingredients
Serves 4

1/2 lb Pork Loin, thinly sliced
3 Tbs Soy Sauce
3 Tbs Rice Wine
1 tps White Pepper
1 tps Chinese Five-Spice Powder
1 tps Cornstarch
2 cups Shitake Mushrooms, sliced
2 cups Cabbage, julienned
1 cup Carrot, julienned
1 Egg, beaten
2 Tbs Dried Shrimp, soaked in water then chopped
2 Tbs Garlic, chopped
4 Tbs Vegetable Oil
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 packet Dried Rice Vermicelli
Salt to taste

Method

1. Mix the pork with soy sauce, rice wine, white pepper, five-spice powder and cornstarch in a bowl. Let it marinade and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, soak the dried rice vermicelli in water for about 10 minutes then drain.

(Note: Most likely the rice vermicelli that you get at Asian supermarkets will be white like the ones shown above; mine looks brown because I’m using brown rice vermicelli made from brown rice – so don’t be alarmed if your 米粉 doesn’t look like mine.)

2. Heat up 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok and make an omelette. Roughly chop into small pieces and remove from wok, set aside in a bowl.

3. Now that the wok is empty, use the remaining 3 tablespoons vegetable oil to stir-fry the garlic and dried shrimp. Next add the pork and stir-fry until transparent.

(Note: Here’s a picture of Dried Shrimp 蝦米. They have to be soaked in water for a bit and can be used once they have softened. A little bit goes a long way and here’s a warning that once they hit the hot oil the smell will be pungent, so make sure your kitchen is well-ventilated.)

4. Add shiitake mushrooms, cabbage and carrot. Stir-fry until vegetables are wilted, add soy sauce and chicken stock.

5. Next add the rice vermicelli and season with salt. Stir-fry and incorporate everything together until all the chicken stock has been absorbed by the rice vermicelli. The completed dish should not be soggy. Don’t forget to add the chopped up omelette you made earlier before serving.