Kerabu Mee Hoon (Rice Noodle Salad)

This is a nyonya style noodle.  This highly appetising noodle dish is spiced up with aromatic herbs and a definate must, tossed with sambal belacan and calamansi juice. I can't get calamansi juice here so I replaced it with lime juice.  One can enjoy this dish anytime of the day, ie for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
This dish is not complicated to prepare but may have difficulty sourcing all the ingredients but that is not a problems you can either omit what you can't find or try substitutuing with another ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 350g rice vermicelli ( mee hoon)
• 20 large prawns
• 10 fresh kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• 3 stalk lemongrass (use the bottom white part only), finely sliced
• 10 shallots, sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 torch ginger flower (bunga kantan), finely sliced
• 2/3 cup grated coconut, can be replaced with dessicated coconut if can't get the fresh one
• 1/4 cup dried shrimp, soaked
• pinch of salt or to taste
• 3 tbsp fish sauce

Sambal belacan spice blend:

• 6 tbsp sambal belacan
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• juice of 8 calamansi lime

Garnishing:

• handful of mint leaves, finely sliced
• red chilli, sliced
• calamansi, halved
• roasted peanuts, coarsely ground

Merthod:

Prepare kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, shallots, garlic and torch ginger flower. Combine into a large mixing bowl.

In a pan, toast the grated coconut until browned. Add to the mixing bowl.

Drain the dried shrimp and then grind in a food processor or pound in a pestal & mortar until coarsely ground. Then add into the wok and toasted for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Transfer into the mixing bowl.

Blanch the rice vermicelli for 2 minutes or till cook. Transfer to a strainer & drain. Then add into the mixing bowl.

In a small bowl prepare the sambal belacan spice blend, mixing well to ensure the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

Add 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a wok and pan fry the prawns until cooked. Add to the mixing bowl.

Toss all the ingredients in the mixing bowl including the sambal belacan spice blend to combine. Add garnishing and disg out to serve. This kerabu mee boon can be serve cold too.