How to Use Yee Mein (伊面)
Is Yee Mein the best Mein? Recipes for Shiitake and Pork Yee Mein and Cheesy Seafood Yee Mein. (三鲜烩伊面/芝士龙虾伊面)
This is Yee Mein, and it's my favorite noodle in the whole world. What makes it the best, at least in my (and some Cantonese people's) opinion?
Well, there is simply no other noodles in the world that can absorb flavor and sauce as well as Yee Mein can.
It gets this way because it's actually a deep-fried noodle, just like instant noodles – which are also great at taking on flavor. But unlike instant noodle, Yee Mein also got this great puffiness to it, it allows sauce and soup adhere to it so well… and on top of that, Yee Mein also got this great body and bite to it, almost like an alkaline noodle.
It’s a little bit of this special occasion thing nowadays. You'll usually see it at banquets or fancy restaurants… and it's also a classic dish to have at birthdays because, you know, long noodles equals longevity.
Regardless, because Yee Mein is (1) super tasty (2) and incredibly versatile, today we want to show you two preparations: first, a simpler pork and shiitake mushroom one that can be a base for your Yee Mein explorations; and second, will be a fancier cheesy seafood banquet preparation, which we did a little bit of our own take on.
Shiitake and Pork Yee Mein
Yee Mein, 1 package, 230-250g.
Dried Shiitake (冬菇), 4, ~20g. Soaked in ~1.25 cups of water for at least four hours and up to overnight, then cut into slivers.
Fresh shiitake (香菇), 60g. Cut into slivers.
Pork loin (瘦肉), 100g. Cut into slivers.
Marinade for the pork:
Salt, ¼ tsp.
Sugar, ¼ tsp.
White pepper powder, ⅛ tsp.
Soy sauce (生抽), ½ tsp.
Liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), ½ tsp.
Cornstarch, ½ tsp.
Oil to coat, ~½ tsp.
Choy sum a.k.a. Yu Choy (菜心), 60g. Cut into halves or even quarters (if a bit larger).
Liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), ~1 tbsp. For frying the mushrooms.
Mushroom soaking liquid from before, 1 cup.
Seasoning for the mushroom soaking liquid:
Salt, ½ tsp.
Sugar, ¼ tsp.
Soy sauce (生抽), 2 tsp.
Dark soy sauce (老抽), ½ tsp.
Oyster sauce (蚝油), 1 tsp.
Final Seasoning:
White pepper powder, ⅛ tsp.
MSG (味精), ⅛ tsp.
Toasted sesame oil (麻油), 1 tsp.
Process:
To prep:
Soak four dried shiitake mushrooms in cool water for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
Reserve 1 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid, discarding any sediment. Remove the stems from the shiitakes, and slice into slivers.
Slice 60g of fresh shiitake mushrooms into slivers.
Slice 100g of pork loin in slivers, then marinate with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar, ⅛ teaspoon white pepper powder, ½ teaspoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon Shaoxing wine, and ½ teaspoon of cornstarch. Mix well, then coat with ½ teaspoon oil.
Cut 60g of choy sum into halves or quarters. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.
To par-boil the Yee Mein:
Bring three liters of water to a rolling boil in a large wok. Add one package (or, 230-250g) of yee mein noodles. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with chopsticks to loosen. Remove when the noodles still have a bite of hardness inside, or just before al dente. Rinse under running water and drain.
To fry the noodles:
In a hot wok, swirl in two tablespoons of oil. Over a high flame, add the marinated pork slivers. Spread out and sear for 15 seconds, then fry for another 30 seconds. Remove and set aside.
In the same wok over medium heat, add a touch more oil if needed. Fry the fresh shiitake slivers. After a quick fry, swirl in a tablespoon Shaoxing wine. Fry for about 2 minutes, then add the dried shiitake slivers. Fry for another 2 minutes.
Carefully add the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a boil and season with ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce, and one teaspoon of oyster sauce. Stir well and add the precooked yee mein noodles. Gently stir and mix the noodles over medium heat, allowing them to absorb that sauce. Continue until only a couple tablespoons of liquid remain.
Add the reserved pork slivers and continue gently mixing and cooking until the sauce is mostly absorbed. Season with ⅛ teaspoon white pepper powder and ⅛ teaspoon MSG. Add the blanched choy sum and mix gently. Finish with one teaspoon toasted sesame oil.
Cheesy Seafood Yee Mein
Yee Mein, one package, ~230-250g.
Shell on shrimp, 375g.
Marinade for the shrimp:
Salt, ¼ tsp.
Sugar, ¼ tsp.
White pepper powder, ⅛ tsp.
Liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), ¼ tsp.
~1 tsp of oil to coat.
Oil for frying the shrimp: ~⅓ cup, preferably peanut. Reserve 1 tsp of the frying oil to finish the shrimp.
For the quick shrimp stock:
Aromatics for the quick shrimp stock:
Garlic, ~4 cloves. Smashed.
Onion, ¼. Cut into chunks.
Celery, 2 ribs. Cut into two inch sections.
Brandy (白兰地) -or- liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒) ~1 tbsp. To be used in the shrimp stock. White wine would also be ok.
For the cheese sauce:
Butter, 2 tbsp. For the cheese sauce.
Garlic, 1 large clove. Finely minced. For the cheese sauce.
Dried bay leaf (香叶), 1. For the cheese sauce.
Brandy (白兰地), preferably, -or- white wine -or- liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), 1 tbsp. For the cheese sauce.
Shrimp stock, ¾ cup. For the cheese sauce.
Milk powder (奶粉), ½ tsp. For the cheese sauce.
Milk, ¾ cup. For the cheese sauce.
Cheeses:
Parmesan, 2-3 tbsp. Shredded.
Furu fermented tofu (腐乳), ¼ cube.
American cheese (芝士片), 2 sheets, ~30g.
Slurry of tapioca starch (木薯淀粉) OR potato starch (土豆淀粉), 1 tbsp mixed with 1 tbsp milk. For the cheese sauce.
Seasoning for the cheese sauce:
Salt, ¼ tsp.
Sugar, ¼ tsp.
MSG (味精), ¼ tsp.
White pepper, ¼ tsp.
Fish sauce (鱼露), ¼ tsp.
To cook the Yee Mein:
Shrimp stock from above, ¾ cup.
To season the stock:
Chicken bouillon powder (鸡粉), ½ tsp.
Salt, ½ tsp.
Sugar, ¼ tsp.
White pepper powder, ⅛ tsp.
Optional: Jiuhuang (韭黄), ~7-8. Fibrous bottom removed, chopped into ~2 inch sections and toasted for 1-2 minutes. Half mixed in with the Yee Mein and half for garnish.
Optional: dried shrimp roe (虾籽).
Process:
For the shrimp:
Peel 375g shell-on shrimp, reserving heads and shells. ‘De-slime’ the shrimp by soaking in running water for 10 minutes or in water with a splash of kan sui for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Dry the shrimp completely, rolling them tightly in paper towels if necessary.
Butterfly the shrimp and remove the vein. Marinate with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar, ⅛ teaspoon white pepper powder, and ¼ teaspoon Shaoxing wine. Mix well, then coat with 1 teaspoon peanut oil. Set aside.
Heat ⅓ cup peanut oil in a wok until it reaches 185C (365F). Fry the shrimp for 45 seconds until cooked. Remove and drain, reserving 1 teaspoon of the frying oil.
For the Shrimp Stock:
Smash 3-4 garlic cloves. Cut ¼ of an onion into chunks. Slice two ribs of celery into ~2 inch sections.
In a wok or pot, swirl in about one tablespoon of peanut oil over a medium-high flame. Add in the garlic, the onion, and the celery. Fry for 1 minute, then add the reserved shrimp heads and shells from above. Fry until they change color. Swirl in a tablespoon brandy, then add enough water to submerge the shrimp. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer covered for 1 hour. Strain the stock, reserving 1½ cups. Save any extra for another use.
For the cheese sauce:
Finely mince once large clove of garlic.
In a small pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and fry for about one minute. Crumple up one dried bay leaf and briefly fry that too. Swirl in one tablespoon of brandy, and after a quick mix add ¾ cup of your shrimp stock. Bring to a rapid boil. Add ½ teaspoon milk powder, mix well, and reduce to a simmer. Add ¾ cup whole milk.
Add two tablespoons grated parmesan, ¼ cube fermented tofu, and two sheets American-style cheese. Melt completely. Thicken with a slurry of 1 tablespoon tapioca starch mixed with 1 tablespoon milk. Season with ¼ teaspoon each of salt, sugar, MSG, white pepper, and fish sauce. Remove the bay leaf.
To par-boil the noodles:
Bring three liters of water to a rolling boil in a large wok. Add one package (or, 230-250g) of yee mein noodles. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally with chopsticks to loosen. Remove when the noodles still have a bite of hardness inside, or just before al dente. Rinse under running water and drain.
To cook the noodles:
In a wok over a high flame, bring another ¾ cup shrimp stock to a boil. Add in ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon white pepper powder. Mix well, then add par-boiled yee mein noodles. Toss until stock is absorbed.
Optionally, add toasted yellow chives. Turn off heat and add 80% of the cheese sauce. Toss to mix, then add one tablespoon reserved shrimp frying oil.
To serve, spread remaining sauce on a plate. Top with noodles, fried shrimp, and optionally sprinkle with dried shrimp roe and additional yellow chives for garnish.