【怡保鸡丝河粉】Ipoh Kai Si Hor Fun

我是长到大约十岁，跟着外公外婆到北马旅行时，在怡保吃到这款面食我才知道米浆制作的这个粉条也叫“河粉", 米浆制作的粉条在我们那旮旯一直都是叫做“粿条”的。

至于为什么它只有在马来西亚北方的怡保（市）才会被叫做“河粉”呢？

那就要追溯到华侨下南洋的历史了，当年下南洋的华侨一批一批的，广东人，客家人，潮州人，福建人，到步后很自然的就奔着老乡们去了。后来逐渐地，北方的槟城变成了潮州/福建人的聚居地，中部靠北的怡保，还有吉隆坡就变成了广东人的集聚地，南方的马六甲，柔佛则福建人和客家人比较多。这样的分布其实很容易地就可以从马来西亚各地的华人美食看出来。

再回到为什么只有怡保的米粉条叫做河粉，很可能是第一代的老华侨里有广州沙河镇来的移民，发现怡保这个地方被岩石山岭环，山里的泉水和广州家乡的九龙泉水类似，很适合制作河粉。于是就这样，怡保产出来马来西亚最有名的河粉了，它很薄，而且滑润透明，爽软韧筋，质量非常好。至今仍然有许多的北马人坚持只有怡保才有正宗的“怡保河粉”，其它的都是粿条呢！

这款鸡丝河粉我想念了很久，但是一直找不到比较好的新鲜河粉，而且一如其他马来西亚的面食那样，工序非常繁琐，所以就一直没有做它。我这里只能买到吃越南粉用的细米粉，如果你住的地方买得到2-3厘米宽的新鲜粿条/河粉，强烈建议你用那种哦！

 I didn't grow up eating Hor Fun -- which is what flat rice noodle is called in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, especially in Ipoh. This type of noodle is called "Kuey Teow" in my part of the world.

The first time I heard the term "Hor Fun" was probably when I was around 10 years old, sometimes around long school holidays when my maternal grandparents brought us to visit Penang and en-route to Ipoh for the good foods that the town is known for.

Though not a big fan of soupy Kuey Teow a.k.a Hor Fun, this dish caught my fancy the first time I tried it, the noodles are smooth and the broth so full of flavors.

My FB friend Ivan posted his version of this Hor Fun on his page not long ago and it really got me craving for a good bowl of this noodle for sometimes. So one fine day I finally gathered enough ingredients (and courage) to go through the lengthy process just to prepare a bowl of this hearty noodle soup.

Try using the rice noodle which is 2-3 mm thick if you can find it, I strongly suggest to use only the fresh noodles, unfortunately the only fresh Hor Fun I could get in the nearby supermarket is thin rice stick noodle, not ideal but at least it is fresh! The dried version just won't cut it. 

材料: 

250 克/ 12-15 只 中型虾 

4-5 大块 汤骨 

2 大块 鸡胸 或 鸡腿肉

1 大勺 大地鱼粉/鸡精粉

1-2 包新鲜河粉/粿条 (Stick Rice Banh Pho Tuoi)

1 把 韭菜 Chinese Chive 

1 大勺 白胡椒粒  

3-4 大勺 炸葱酥和葱油

3-4 大勺 炸蒜酥和蒜油

几颗 鱼丸 可无

几颗 水煮鹌鹑蛋    可无

 

调味：

1 1/2 大勺 鱼露 Fish sauce

盐适量

2-3 小块/5-8 克 冰糖

 

沾酱：

3-4 朝天椒 

2-3 大勺 酱油/生抽 

   

Ingredients: 

250 gms/ 12-15 medium size fresh shrimps 

3-4 pieces of pork soup bones 

2 pieces of chicken breast/boneless chicken thigh

1 tbsp of Laice Powder/ Chicken Bullion 

1-2 packets of fresh rice noodles (Stick Rice Banh Pho Tuoi)

1 bunch of garlic chives/Chinese Chive (韭菜）

1 tbsp white peppercorn, lightly pounded with mortar and pestle 

3-4 tbsp Fried shallots and shallot oil

3-4 tbsp Fried garlic and garlic oil

Few Fish balls       Optional for kids

Few Boiled quail eggs         Optional for kids

For Seasoning：

1 1/2 tbsp Fish sauce

Salt to taste

2-3 small pieces/5-8 gms of rock sugar

Dipping Sauce：

3-4 Thai Chili

2-3 tbsp soy sauce

1. 把汤骨汆烫洗净，然后放入一口深锅里加入2.5公升的水煮滚转小火继续熬煮30分钟。

2. 虾洗净去壳，去肠泥。虾壳虾头留下备用。

3. 锅里热上1/2杯食油，把虾壳和虾头入锅炸酥后把虾壳和虾头加入刚刚的汤锅里，继续熬煮1个小时。

注：炸虾壳剩下的虾油可以留起来做泰式炒河粉哦！

1. Blanch pork bones in boiling water for 30 seconds, rinse under running cold water, discard the blanching water. Start with 2.5 litres of cold water, bring to boil and turn heat to low to simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Shelled and deveined shrimps.

3. Heat up 1/2 cup of oil in a cooking pan, cook shells and heads of shrimp until the shells are crisp and color changed to red-orangy, dish out the shells, drained and add to the pork bone broth, continue simmering broth for approximately another 1 hour.

Note: Keep the oil from frying shrimp shells, it can be used in preparing Pad Thai.

4. 把汤锅里的虾壳虾头和骨头捞出丢弃不用。

5. 把胡椒颗粒用石捣臼轻微敲碎，然后盛到一个用后即弃的空茶袋里，放到汤锅里继续熬制30-45分钟，取出胡椒颗粒袋，丢弃。此刻也可加入大地鱼粉，加入鱼露，食盐和冰糖调味。

6. 间中可以把鸡胸肉入汤锅里煮12-15分钟至熟，捞出冷却用手掰成丝，备用。虾仁入汤锅煮1-2分钟至熟，捞出备用。

4. Discard pork bones and shrimp shells and head from broth.

5. In a mortar and pestle, lightly crush 1 tbsp white peppercorn. Place the crushed peppercorns in a disposable filter bag or tea infuser, place the infuser/filter bag into the broth, continue simmering for another 30-45 minutes. Add plaice powder or chicken bullion. Discard the white peppercorn and season broth with salt, rock sugar and fish sauce.

6. Meanwhile, cook the chicken breast in the broth for 12-15 minutes until it is cooked (insert a toothpick into it if the liquid releases is clear then it is cooked), let cool and shred the chicken for garnishing.

7. Cook shrimps in same stock for 1-2 minutes until it changes color and cooked, set aside for garnishing later.

7. 分别炸好葱酥葱油和蒜酥蒜油。

8. 煮滚一锅水，把河粉，韭菜和鱼丸分别烫好摆在碗里。加入鸡丝，虾仁后注入滚烫的高汤。最后加上葱酥葱油和蒜酥蒜油，如果喜欢的话可以撒一点点的白胡椒粉即可上桌。

9. 朝天椒切碎加上酱油即成沾酱。

这款河粉汤底很鲜，我家俊宝很喜欢，他吃的汤底我不加鱼露，这碗是给他做的，他能吃个碗底朝天，连汤都喝的干干净净哦！

8. Prepare fried garlic and shallots before hand.

9. Bring a pot of water to rolling boil, blanch noodle, garlic chives and fish balls (if using).

10. Place warm noodles, garlic chives, shredded chicken and prawns in serving bowl and ladle boiling stock over it.

11. Garnish with fried shallots with oils and fried garlic with oils, sprinkle a dash of white pepper powder if you like.

12. Chopped Thai chillies and add soy sauce as dipping sauce.

This dish is also very kids friendly (as long as the kid is not allergy to shellfish).

中文 -- 怡保鸡丝河粉