Taiwanese Orh Ah Mee Sua (蚵仔面线), a popular Street food in Taiwan – is a bowl of wheat vermicelli cooked rich bonito-flavored thickened soup. Top with juicy, plump oysters, pork intestine and homemade chili sauce.
One of my favourite Taiwanese dish. As long as the street vendors in Taiwan sells it, I will order. My favourite is still 阿宗面线 at 西门丁。I will definitely order this in any Taiwanese Restaurant to gauge the authenticity of their food. This is not a difficult dish to make but seems like not every restaurant can make it the right way in Singapore.
After the latest bowl I had failed me badly, I decide to just make it on my own to satisfy my craving before making a trip to Taiwan.
The Taiwanese took an extra step in handling the oysters. They coated these tiny precious with sweet potato flour and blanch them in boiling water for a couple of seconds.
Reason being, the oysters will remain plump and juicy after cook and you do not need to fish around the bowl of mee sua for the tiny ones.
The remaining steps are very simple. Just stir fry the garlic until fragrant, add water, seasonings and other ingredients (except oysters). Boil until noodle soften and thicken the noodle soup with cornstarch mixture. When done, top with oysters, cilantro and homemade chili (optional). Thicken the broth buy adding the cornstarch mixture gradually – until your desired consistency. Viola!
**Update: I went to Ah Zhong Mian Xian in Taipei again recently and realised the addition of basil leaves into the broth. I have added and it really elevated the taste of the whole dish.
*this recipe did not use bonito flakes. Instead, I replaced it with dashi power (bonito flavored powder) and save on the straining part if using bonito flakes.
Here’s a video recipe on how to make Orh Ah Mee Sua (台湾蚵仔面线)
Oh ya, and not forgetting about the homemade chili to go with the mee sua.
Homemade Chili
Blend oil, Shallot & Garlic in a blender until it blended into a smooth paste
Fry in frying pan under medium heat until fragrant and slightly golden brown
Add grinded dried chili, and salt.
Stir fry until fragrant. Off the heat and add sesame oil. Let it cool down and transfer to an air tight container. Can be kept in chiller for a month.
- 80g Red/ White Mee Sua (Wheat/Flour Vermicelli)
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 900ml Water
- 4 teaspoon Dashi Powder
- 1 tablespoon Rice Wine
- 2 teaspoon Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
- 4 tablespoons Fried Shallot
- 10g Sweet Basil Leaves
- Soaked Red Mee Sua (Wheat/Flour Vermicelli)/ White Meesua
- Cornstarch Mixture (2 tablespoon cornflour + 2 tablespoon water; mix well)
- *Cleaned and cooked Pork Large Intestine (Optional) about 50g
- 50g Oysters
- 40g Sweet Potato Flour
- 20g Shallot
- 2 tablespoon Minced Garlic (or 4 cloves of garlic)
- 100 ml oil
- 30g dried chili
- 80ml Sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Blanched Oyster
- Chilli Sauce
- Cilantro
- Chinese ZheKiang Black Vinegar
- In a bowl, add enough water just to submerge the mee sua (Wheat/ Flour Vermicelli) and soak for 30 mins
- Strain and cut the vermicelli into small pieces (If using White, cut during cooking, when soften)
- Set aside
- Coat the Oysters with sweet potato flour
- Prepare a pot of boiling water and blanch the oysters in the boiling water over medium heat for 10 to 20 sec (depending on size and your desired doneness)
- Remove the oysters from the boiling water and set aside
- Heat the oil in saucepan over medium heat
- Add in Garlic and stir fry until frangrant and slightly golden brown
- Add water, Dashi powder, Rice Wine, Oyster Sauce, Sugar, Mee Sua, basil leaves and Pork LArge Intestine (Optional) and bring it to boil
- Allow it to boil for another 5 minutes under medium low heat until the noodle soften
- Slowly cornstarch mixture and stir immediately to thicken the soup; thicken to your desired consistency; do not add all cornstarch mixture at once
- Transfer to serving bowls
- Top with Oysters, cilantro and homemade chili (optional)
- Serve Hot
- Add the dried chili into a grinder and grind until fine
- Transfer to a bowl and set aside
- Add the shallot, garlic and oil into a blender and blend until it become a smooth paste
- Heat up a frying pan over medium heat
- Add the blended garlic and shallot paste.
- Stir fry until fragrant and slightly brown
- Add the grinded chili and salt
- Stir Fry until fragrant.
- Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil
- Allow it to cool thoroughly before transferring into a container
- Store in chiller.
where you buy red meesua ?
Hi,
i bought it from wet market. u can always use the normal mee sua we found in supermarket.