Teochew Dried Fishball Noodles - Tossed Tapioca Noodles

I'm actually 1/4 Teochew, 1/4 Hokkien and 1/2 a Hakka. In the olden days, noodles was an important source of staple food for my mother's family. My Hokkien maternal grandfather was a noodles merchant when he first migrated from China to settle down in Singapore. As a child, I grew up eating different types of noodles cooked and prepared in various styles by my Teochew grandmother. However, I wasn't aware that the fishball noodles in Australia, are typically the soupy type. I have attempted (and failed) to order the Singapore hawkers' dried version a couple of times, much to the bewilderment of the Chinese local restauranters (lol) and I didn't care for their soupy noodles because the fishballs were artificially bouncy and the broth was ... bleah..

So, I was quite triumphant when I managed to recreate the nostalgic taste of home in Australia - Teochew dried fishball noodles. The noodles texture were chewy and light. The sauce was tangy with a hint of spiciness, ideal for breakfast or lunch.



Serves 1

Ingredients - Available in Asian Grocery
1 serving tapioca noodles (I bought the longish, Vietnamese type because their shorter type, aka Mee Tai Mak, tends to become soggy easily after cooked.)
1 packet fishballs (fried or white)
1/2 fish cake (sliced) *optional
spring onions (chopped finely)

Seasonings:
1 tablespoon Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli Oil (adjust or omit as desired)
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tablespoon light soy
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon MSG


Preparation and cooking:

• Combine seasonings with 2 tablespoons of stock (or soup) in a bowl to create a sauce, mix well.
• Bring 2 bowls of water to boil.
• Add noodles and blanch until al dente.
• Drain away the water and toss noodles in sauce until evenly coated.
• In another pot, add fishballs to 1 bowl of boiling water or chicken stock.
• Bowl for about 5 minutes until fishballs are cooked and bouncy.
• Add fried shallots (or Dang Tsai - salted cabbage with leek and fried pork lard - deep fried pork belly), season with salt and white pepper
  
• Garnish tossed noodles and soup with spring onions and serve with fishballs and fish cake soup, with freshly cut chillies (if desired).

**Notes:

1. I have omitted a very distinct Teochew ingredient, preserved vegetable - Dang Tsai (天津东菜) - salted cabbage with leeks, because my kiddo has a phobia of it. He will swallow them with water (like they are pills) and it's not a pretty sight for me. So, please add a sprinkle of it if you do not have any phobia. It really makes the difference.
2. I didn't add bean sprouts because we weren't able to get any fresh ones in Gong, plus personally, I don't like the taste of raw or half-cooked sprouts. (which is why I have never been a lover of Pho - the Vietnamese beef noodles.. :p)
3. For health reasons, MSG is not recommended for regular consumption. However it plays an important role in making the sauce taste robust (like those from Singapore's hawkers), so it cannot be omitted unless you have some concentrated meat stock ready.