Mama’s prawn and leek stir-fried noodles

“This is the easiest stir-fry you’ll ever make. No fiddly chopping or worrying about the fierceness of the heat; you can cook this on an old electric stove and it will still turn out fabulously. The sweetness of the prawns, fish cake and gently aromatic leeks knit together so beautifully, I always have seconds – and thirds…” Poh Ling Yeow, Poh & Co. 2

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2–3 tbsp rice bran oil or vegetable oil
• 500 g raw peeled prawns, halved lengthways
• 200 g fish cakes, cut into 3 mm-thick slices (see Note)
• 3 large leeks, white part only, well washed, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
• 400 g fine rice vermicelli, soaked in cool water for 20 minutes only (see Note)
• light soy sauce or fish sauce, to taste
• pinch of sugar
• sea salt and ground black pepper

Soaking time 20 minutes

Instructions

Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add the prawns and fish cake and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until the prawns are half cooked. Add the leek and stir-fry for 5–6 minutes or until softened. Add the drained vermicelli and a dash of soy sauce or fish sauce to taste. Stir-fry for 4–5 minutes or until the noodles are tender, sprinkling some water over the noodles if they look dry. Add the sugar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Asian-style fish cakes and fine rice vermicelli are available at Asian grocers and select supermarkets.

Photography, styling and food preparation by china squirrel.

Poh & Co. 2 Thursdays at 8.30pm on SBS.

View recipes and more from Poh & Co. on our program page.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.