Hokkien Mee (福建面) — Stock-Braised Noodles of the Fujianese Diaspora

Ingredients

• For the prawn-head stock
• 500 g whole prawns, heads and shells reserved, bodies set aside
• 30 g lard, or neutral oil
• 1 litre water, or light stock
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 600 g thick yellow egg noodles, fresh
• 200 g squid, cleaned, bodies sliced into rings
• 40 g lard, for the wok; lard is traditional
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp white pepper, ground
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, for colour

Method

1. 1
   Heat 30 g lard in a wok over high heat until shimmering. Add the reserved prawn heads and shells and fry, pressing them against the wok, until they are deeply fragrant and beginning to caramelise — 5 to 7 minutes. Add the water or light stock and the Shaoxing wine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Strain, discarding the solids; the stock should be richly orange and smell intensely of shellfish.
2. 2
   Return the wok to high heat with 40 g lard. When the lard is hot and beginning to smoke, add the garlic and fry until fragrant, no more than 30 seconds. Add the reserved prawn bodies and the squid and toss vigorously until just cooked through — the prawns will be pink and curled and the squid will be opaque. Remove immediately and set aside.
3. 3
   Add the thick yellow egg noodles to the wok and pour in enough prawn stock to nearly submerge them. This is where the dish lives or dies: braise over medium heat, tossing and turning the noodles continuously, until the stock is almost completely absorbed. The noodles must be fully infused with the stock's flavour yet carry no pooling liquid — they should be glossy, supple, and deeply savoury, not soupy and not dry.
4. 4
   Return the prawns and squid to the wok. Season with fish sauce, ground white pepper, and the dark soy sauce, tossing to distribute the colour evenly. Taste: the dish should be rounded, savoury, and faintly smoky. Serve immediately.