Ipoh Hor Fun
This is the dry recipe for Ipoh hor fun, aka hor fun (Asian flat rice noodles) with mushrooms, shredded chicken, prawns and greens. This is a very balanced and filling one-dish meal with a bit of everything (noodles, mushrooms, meat, seafood and vegetables) all on the same plate. Don’t forget to serve it with some home-made pickled green chilli!
See Also:
- Shredded Chicken & Mushroom Noodles Recipe
- Braised Shiitake Mushrooms Recipe
- Mushroom Bak Chor Mee Recipe
Unlike our local style hor fun, Ipoh hor fun does not have a beaten egg added to the gravy. Additionally, the noodles used for Ipoh hor fun are a thinner variety of our local kway teow, and you can buy it from the wet markets or local supermarkets. I bought mine from the supermarket, namely the “Kang Kang” brand with the cute monkey mascot. This particular brand does not need refrigeration (unless it’s already opened), so keep the new sealed pack at room temperature. Once refrigerated, the noodles may hardened and break more easily when frying.
My hor fun gravy is not very dark in colour, as I am only using the mushrooms braising sauce (which has some dark soy in it) to season the chicken stock. If you want the typical darker colour gravy, you can add dark soy sauce to your preference.
Ipoh Hor Fun Recipe
As chicken stock vary in saltiness and taste, do season the gravy to taste accordingly. Add dark soy sauce accordingly for a darker coloured gravy.
Ingredients:
Stewed (Braised) Mushrooms
- 50 grams (or 8 medium) Chinese dried shiitake mushrooms
- hot boiling water
(A) Seasonings
- 500 ml water (including mushroom soaking water, filtered through a fine sieve)
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp rock sugar to taste
Shredded Chicken
- 200 grams boneless and skinless chicken breast
- water (just enough to cover the chicken completely)
Boiled Prawns
- 4-8 prawns with shells on
- water
Fried Hor Fun
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 shallots finely chopped
- 500 grams ipoh hor fun (the thinner variety of kway teow)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
Hor Fun Gravy & Choy Sum
- 500ml chicken stock (you can use store-bought tetra-pak instant stock for convenience)
- 4 stalks choy sum/cai xin (or any Chinese greens such as baby bok choy) cut to 5 cm (2 in) length
- mushroom braising liquid to taste
- cornstarch mixture 1 heaped tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water
Garnishing
Directions:
Stewed Mushrooms
- Soak mushrooms in a bowl of hot water for 30 minutes until softened. Trim and discard stalks. Squeeze out excess water from each mushroom cap. Reserve mushroom soaking water.
- Add mushrooms with (A) in a small pot. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Set aside.
Shredded Chicken
- In a small pot, add chicken breast and water. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken) or until cooked through. Set the chicken on a plate, and when it is cooled, tear to thin shreds by hand following the direction of the grain. Set aside shredded chicken. Tip: You can reserve the chicken stock, filtered through a sieve, for cooking.
Boiled Prawns
- Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add prawns and boil until they are just cooked, about 2 minutes. Peel the prawns when cooled. Split each prawn into two halves by cutting through the back, discarding any black veins on the back and underside of the prawns, if any. Set aside.
Fried Hor Fun
- Heat wok with oil and add shallots. Cook until shallots are soft, aromatic and at the first sight of them browning, add hor fun and soy sauces. Stir fry at high heat until the colour is even, drizzling a bit more oil if the noodles are too dry. Once the colour is even, let the hor fun brown slightly on one side before turning them over. Divide and portion fried hor fun on four serving plates.
Hor Fun Gravy
- Clean the wok with kitchen towel (no need to wash). Add chicken stock and bring to simmer.
- Cook choy sum through a slotted ladle for 10-15 seconds. Set aside.
- Season and darken the gravy with mushrooms braising sauce. Thicken stock by adding cornstarch mixture, a little at a time, until the soup is of a semi-runny consistency.
- Return the shredded chicken, mushrooms and prawns to the gravy for a few seconds to warm through and to moisten them.
Assembling the Hor Fun
- Pour the hot gravy over the hor fun. Divide and top each plate with shredded chicken, mushrooms, prawns and choy sum. Serve with pickled green chill.
Noob Cook Tip
For best results, use quick cooking dried mushrooms (the thinner variety) as some dried mushrooms may require long hours of stewing.