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Kai Si Hor Fun

Posted on June 7, 2020June 21, 2021 By Alexandra Wong No Comments on Kai Si Hor Fun

Every Ipohite has their favourite kai si hor fun stall. Mine is Canning Garden’s Little Katong, a relative newcomer compared to the old stalwarts in other parts of Ipoh. I prefer this version because the soup is rich and flavourful without being overly sweet.

For the uninitiated, kai si hor fun stands for shredded chicken rice noodles, a well-loved hawker dish iconic to Ipoh, my hometown. With so many good KSHF stalls around, I never had to worry about cooking it myself. I could stuff myself silly with as many bowls of KSHF as I wanted on my monthly trips to Ipoh.

Curious about the origins of kai si hor fun? Read this fascinating article from Ipoh Echo.

Until, BOOM, COVID19 came along! Deprived of access (because interstate travel is banned for now) the only way to get my KSHF fix is to DIY.

After studying many KSHF recipes, I came to this realization: there is no single definitive kai si hor fun recipe.

There is, however, one common denominator among all the different versions of the dish.

Good kai si hor fun stock must have enough body (i.e. the “thickness” of the soup) and a balanced flavour (i.e. umami and sweetness).

And each chef has his or her own unique way of achieving the best results.

To achieve “body”, I’ve heard that some hawkers use shark bones. I’ve seen recipes that call for carrots and soy beans.

To obtain a rich flavour, I’ve seen cooks use everything everything from prawn heads, chicken bones and dried shrimp to anchovies, rock sugar and fish sauce. Basically, anything that contributes depth of flavour to the soup.

After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, I finally decided to attempt it myself. Of course I was scared to tackle Ipoh’s most iconic dish! But I told myself, never mind lah, it’s only going into my stomach and hubby’s stomach.

How did it turn out?

We like it 🙂 It’s not as salty or sweet as the commercial KSHF, but that’s fine since hubs and I have a low tolerance for salt and sugar.

Since my maiden attempt, I’ve made KSHF at least half a dozen times. Each time, the ingredients vary slightly because I go with whatever I have in the kitchen. Which could be prawn heads and shells, dried shrimp, chicken stock, fish sauce and sometimes even anchovy and scallop powder! I know, crazy expensive, but hey, this is purely for own consumption. After all, I’ve no plans to open a kai si hor fun stall anytime soon!

Want more Asian-style noodles? Try my mum’s recipe for braised yee mee.

Kai Si Hor Fun

Alexandra Wong
An iconic Ipoh street food comprising silky hor fun (rice noodles) steeped in a delicate prawn and chicken broth
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hr
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2

Equipment

  • Deep pot, medium-sized pot, strainer

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g Ipoh soup kuay teow
  • 8 prawns, deshelled and deveined
  • 2 chicken thighs, rubbed with salt
  • 4 shallots, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced finely
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1 handful taugeh
  • A few stalks chives, cut into segments

Stock

  • 5 cups water
  • Prawn heads and shells
  • Chicken bones
  • Thickening and flavour agents - can be dried shrimp, anchovies, chicken stock, anchovy stock, rock sugar, fish sauce, carrots
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Steam the chicken thighs for 20 minutes. Once cooked, the chicken will release tasty juices; keep those juices for your stock. Shred the meat by hand and keep aside.
  • Prepare your stock ahead of time. In a big pot, heat up a bit of oil and stir-fry prawn shells and heads until they turn red.
  • Add water followed by the chicken juices from Step 1. Add the rest of your flavour and thickening ingredients. Boil for roughly 45 minutes until you can see clearly that the stock has thickened and a thin red flim of prawn oil is clearly visible on the surface. Discard solids and strain stock. You should have roughly 2.5-3 cups stock left.
  • Now prepare the rest of your condiments. Heat up a few tbsp oil and fry garlic and shallots. Remove garlic and shallots from the hot oil so they don't burn. Set the oil and aromatics aside for garnishing later.
  • Ready to eat? Good, you can start to assemble all the different components. Bring your stock to a boil. Drop raw prawns inside and boil until they're cooked. Set aside.
  • Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Blanch taugeh for 10 seconds. Remove.
  • In the same water, blanch ipoh kuay teow noodles; 5 seconds should be enough as the noodles turn soft very fast! (See Recipe Notes 1)
  • Ladle noodles into bowls. Top with cooked prawns, blanched taugeh, shredded chicken meat, fried shallots and garlic, and chopped chives. Pour soup over and spoon a little garlic-shallot oil on top. Add cut chilli if you have any. Serve!

Notes

  1. Ipoh soup kuay teow is a unique product from Ipoh. Smooth, soft and silky, once you've eaten it, you'll never want to try other rice noodles. However, in Kuala Lumpur where I live, it's not easy to get this product. So far, the only place that has it is De Market in Faber Towers, Taman Desa. If you have contacts for other suppliers, do drop me a note and let me know. If you are not using this particular brand of noodles, please adjust cooking time at your discretion. 
Keyword noodles
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Chinese, Malaysian, Noodles & Pasta, One-pot meal Tags:Ipoh food, kai si hor fun

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Who’s Ipohbunny, lah?

Welcome!

I’m Alexandra Wong, a self-taught Malaysian home cook on a mission to simplify and healthify recipes using affordable quality ingredients. I am a writer by profession, mostly known for my feelgood stories about people, travel and food.

ipohbunny

I make this granola Every Single Week. Its that go I make this granola Every Single Week. Its that good 😉 #granola #homemade #homemadegranola #cookwithipohbunny #granolarecipe #oats #wholefoods
"How's my burger?" "The flavour is quite good." "How's my burger?"

"The flavour is quite good."

Hubs' feedback stopped there, so I knew something was not right.

Know what I found out? That he and I have fundamentally very different concepts of what a good burger should be.

Having spent many years in the UK and US, his idea of a proper burger is a patty of mostly ground quality meat. Having grown up in Ipoh eating roadside budget burgers, my idea of a good burger is a moist patty that's much more tender inside because it's been stuffed with something called panade.

No, I didn't know what panade was either, until I Googled it up. Panade is bread soaked with milk, which you add to the meat to form a burger. The panade adds that oh so desirable moistness and juiciness to the burger. Yes, it won't taste as meat-dense as the meat-only burger patties that hubs is used to in the UK and US, but that's the taste I am used to. In fact, I find those meat-only burgers in high-end restaurants too beefy and meaty.

Anyway, here's how I made my burger

1. Cut up one slice bread into cubes. Add a 2 tbs milk to soak bread and crumble with fingers until it's mashed up like puree. This is your panade.
2. Dice up half a yellow onion finely. The acidity of the onion tenderises the meat.
3. Mix onion and panade with 250g minced beef ( you can add more if you want a beefier taste), salt, pepper, and enough egg to bind. Add egg slowly because you don't want too much liquid.
4. Shape into patties and panfry on both sides. Serve! :)

#homemadeburger #burger #hamburger #beefpatty #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #Malaysianhomecook #foodporn #meatlover #burgerrecipes
Wahhhh! Didn't expect so many of you to ask me for Wahhhh! Didn't expect so many of you to ask me for my chicken char siew recipe. Either I took a damn good photo, or .. you guys really really want to eat chicken char siew lol.

Ok, I can't take credit for the recipe because I compared and picked bits and pieces off recipes by other people. Most of the ingredients are quite predictable - hoisin sauce, soy sauces, honey/sugar, 5-spice powder - but the one thing taht surprised me was the addition of lam yue or fermented red beancurd. I read that it lends a distinct umami that can't be replicated by other ingredients. Well, I just happened to have a bottle, so I put it in. 

This isn't perfect, but I'm jotting it down for future references.
1) Mix together 2 tbs hoisin sauce, 1 tbs light soy sauce, 1 tbs dark soy sauce, 1 tbs honey/agave, white sugar to taste, and a pinch of five-spice powder. I didn't measure, just agak2 only so please bear this in mind!
2) Add 1-2 cubes of fermented red beancurd along with a tsp of the sauce it's submerged in. Mix everything together and taste if it's sweet/savoury enough.
3) Marinate your chicken chop in the sauce for several hours.
4) Pan fry on both sides. Done!

Important notes:
1) This is one of the most variable sauces around. By that I mean, some people like it sweet, some less so. I say, just taste the sauce before you marinate your chicken and adjust accordingly. I don't like too sweet so I reduced the sugar.
2) Which may be why my chicken didnt' char siew in the oven, although I tried grilling it at 200 C, basting it with the sauce several times, etc. Maybe not enough sugar to caramelise properly, so i ended up pan-frying the chicken in my nonstick sauce pan. Kau tim!

#Chineserecipes #chickencharsiew #bbqchicken #Ipohbunnyyrecipes #cookwithipohbunny #chickenrecipes #chicken #Malaysianhomecook #Malaysianfoodblogger
Stir fried celery with roasted cashews ❤️ Ser Stir fried celery with roasted cashews ❤️

Seriously. One of the tastiest #vegan dishes you'll eat in your life - and so healthy! A restaurant favourite that can be easily recreated at home with just five ingredients, the crunchy freshness of just-cooked celery goes so well with the creamy cashew.

1. Remove the stringy outer layer of celery stems with a vegetable peeler.

2. Slice diagonally across each stem to get 
3/4 cm thick slices.

3. Heat up 1 tbs oil in non stick pan. Add celery and sear for 1 minute, before browning. Remove from pan. 

4. In same pan, add garlic (and more oil if needed) to saute. Add back celery.

5. Add 1 tbs (vegetarian) oyster sauce and 3-4 tbs water. Stir to mix the liquids.

6. Cover with a lid and steam for a few minutes till your desired doneness. The time will depend on how crunchy you want your celery. Less time, more crunchy. Just eat a piece of the celery to decide.

7. Toss in roasted cashews, stir to mix and dish up!

#veganchinesefood #vegetarian #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #celery #Chinesecooking #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #Malaysianhomecook #vegetarianrecipes
This salted egg bittergourd is so gorgeous!! 1. S This salted egg bittergourd is so gorgeous!!

1. Slice bittergourd into two length wise. Scoop out white pith and seeds. 
2. Slice bittergourd thinly. Rub with salt and leave aside for 15 min to remove bitterness. Wash off salt.
3. Boil salted duck egg for 10 minutes. Scoop out egg yolk and mash finely.
4. Heat up 1-2 tbs oil and lightly fry bittergourd slices for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
5. In same oil, add chopped garlic and mashed egg yolk. Cook until mixture starts to foam.
6. Add 1/4 cup water (or more) and stir to mix and create a sauce. May be a bit watery at this stage, so add water slowly.
7. Add a pinch of sugar.
8. Now add back bittergourd, toss through, cover with lid and cook over low flame to reduce sauce until it has thickened to your desired consistency. 
9. Serve with white rice :)

Psst if you want my steamed egg recipe, check out my YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkxFGOKXiJg 

#cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #vegetarianrecipes #vegetarian #bittergourd #Chinesecooking #Malaysianhomecook
Zucchini puffs... Inspired by the incredibly creat Zucchini puffs... Inspired by the incredibly creative Chef @dan.giusti on @epicurious

Using @kawan_food roti malabar, egg, Zucchini and salt and pepper only.

Quick easy lunch :) 

#vegetarian #vegetariansnacks #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #puffpastry #vegetabletart
I smashed it!! My one and only #fudgybrownie rec I smashed it!!

My one and only #fudgybrownie recipe from now on. 

Cos it works

1/2 stick butter (60g)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
Pinch of salt
50-60g dark chocolate
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Melt butter and dark chocolate.
2. Mix in sugar until sugar melts.
3. Whip egg until pale and frothy. Add to cream mixture.
4. Fold in flour, saltand cocoa powder.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Done!!

#brownie #brownierecipe #cookwithipohbunny #ipohbunnyrecipes #desserts
Mita Bakery from Kuching @mitaofficialkch kononnya Mita Bakery from Kuching @mitaofficialkch kononnya legendary. At least according to hubby, who got this cake during his biz trip.

One bite of their famous butter cheese cake and I can understand why. Sooo fragrant and moist even after 3 days. Its buttery without being heavy, know what I mean? Good #baking kungfu, this. That addition of cheese gives it a subtle hint of umami that just takes this to another level. When you slice it, it looks like white sandwich bread because the crumb is quite dense, so interesting! 

Gonna eat this very sparingly.

#buttercake #eatcake #cake #kuchingfood #Sarawakfood #foodblogger #Malaysianfoodblogger
I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacr I love all sorts of cakes, but carrot cake is sacred territory.

My mum used to make it. Her cakes were wondrously crumbly and moist, and filled with so many goodies (We Ipoh people call it "toh liu") that nothing sold outside has ever, ever come close. 

Until @grumpyoldman_bakes

I didn't plan on ordering his cake, honestly. But I'd had to rush back to Ipoh for an emergency, and after some very stressful days, I figured I deserve a cake. Cakes make everything better right?

I'd read him waxing lyrical about his carrot cake and against my better judgement, I decided to order one. Gulp, risky. But what's life without some risk?

He was so sweet and helpful in his interactions, and even tolerated my unnecessary rambling (I express to destress). 

When I popped the box lid open, I gasped at how pretty it was. The whole cake was covered in thick frosting and topped with fresh walnuts. 

And then I cut a slice for mum and was even more shocked. You could see the grated carrot and nuts - it was so generous portioned - but the proof was in the tasting. MUm's tasting, to be exact.

She took a  bite and smiled approvingly. "It's so moist inside!"

That is the HIGHEST compliment, in my opinion, one can ever pay a carrot cake. So many out there guilty of dry, pebbly abominations. 

I took a bite and immediately noticed how fresh it tasted. And, I realised, tears springing to my eyes, how close it was to Mum's version, which I last ate more than 20 years ago. 

Thank you Chris for awakening these wonderful memories. 

#carrotcake #grumpyoldmanbakes #ipohbaker #homebaker #ipohhomebaker
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