Recipe: Ipoh Chicken Hor Fun

With the resurgence of Covid cases and the admonition to stay home, the urge for Kai Si Hor Fun comes on. So instead or heading out to your favourite place, why not try your hand at cooking this at home? Here’s a recipe for you:

Ipoh Chicken Hor Fun

By Margarita Lee

Poached Chicken

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and place one free-range chicken into the water. Turn off the heat. 
2. Put the lid on and leave the chicken to stand for 45 minutes. Use a toothpick to prick the chicken thigh – if there is still blood, take the chicken out and re-boil the water. Turn the heat off and leave the chicken to stand for another 10–20 minutes. 
3. Remove chicken from pot and soak in ice cold water. 
4. Reserve the chicken stock. 

 

Preparing the prawns

1. Blanch 500g of prawns until they turn pink and are cooked through.
2. Remove and shock in ice water. 
3. Remove the heads and drain until dry. Reserve heads to fry later.
4. Remove the shells for the chicken broth.

 

Chicken Broth

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Whole chicken carcasses
• Prawn shells (removed from 500g prawns, stir fried with oil)
• 300g Soybeans (soaked in water for minimum 3 – 4 hours)
• 1 Small turnip
• 1 Carrot
• 10g Crystal rock sugar
• 1 tbsp Whole white peppercorns (crushed)
• 5 litres Water
• Salt to taste

Method: 

1. Rinse the chicken carcasses and place into a stock pot. Add in soybeans, turnip, carrot, prawn shells, rock sugar and peppercorns and the stock from the cooked prawns and chicken. Bring to a boil. 
2. Reduce to low heat and cook for approximately 3 hours. Season with salt and strain the stock. Leave aside.

 

Prawn Oil

Ingredients:

• 200 ml cooking oil
• Prawn head or crab with roe

Method:

1. Heat up the cooking oil in the preheated wok, place in prawn heads or crab with roe and stir-fry over low heat until the oil separates. 
2. Remove from heat, strain well. 
3. Blanch hor fun noodles and Chinese chives in boiling water separately. Dish up and drain.

 

To serve

1. Place the hor fun noodles in a serving bowl, then add in blanched Chinese chives, shredded chicken and prawns.
2. Serve with hot chicken broth, prawn oil to taste and chopped scallions. Serve hot with chopped chilli in soy-sauce.

Check out more of Margarita’s recipes on her FB @ Umummy Food!

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