Memories Behind My Fried Hokkien Mee

My first attempt at Fried Hokkien Mee. Many ingredients were missing, but I went ahead anyway because  I have reached the bottom of my threshold and the core ingredients were there.  Missing: chinese chives, bean sprouts, pork strips, squid rings, lime, pork bones (for the stock).

As I sip my pipping hot prawn soup, I am reminded of my favourite prawn mee stall ah pek in my primary school tuckshop, Whampoa English School. This school no longer exists, in fact, I only spent 4 years in this school. After that, it merged with another school and I cannot remember much from those last 2 years.

The reason for delaying the cooking of this noodle dish is I have to prepare the prawn stock. I have to have enough prawn shells for it and I always don't have enough.  Without the stock, fried hokkien mee is just any fried noodles.  The soup base is the soul of this dish.

As this was the first time I prepared a prawn stock, it was refreshing to learn what kinds of ingredients were required for it.  And as I was throwing in the ingredient one by one, I was rather apprehensive how the soup base would turn out.  Soon, the soup started to boil, I caught a whiff and that whiff was powerful enough to whisk me back to my childhood on the spot... waiting at the queue to his stall for my turn, it was always crowded.  Ah pek was a one-man show, he took his orders one at a time, swift-mannered, always friendly and kind.  I always ordered a big bowl of prawn bee hoon soup which cost 40 cents. The regular bowl was 20 cents and it was just not enough to satisfy me.  See, I have always been a big eater. Then I would always scoop extra teaspoons and teaspoons of onion oil into my bowl before I happily tuck in.  Mmmm... so, so yummy!  Luckily I am not obese, otherwise you would now say, "aaahhh, that's why you are so fat now! Already started eating oily food at such young age!"

Now I know how ah pek prepared his prawn soup, after close to 40 years later.  His soup had more flavours in it, and I will improvise mine so I could get closer to the taste of his soup in my next try.  He was such a great cook.  He was already an old man when I was seven, I wonder how his golden years were spent.  Did he have children?  If so, were they good to him?  Was he surrounded by all his loved ones at his deathbed?  Or was he alon... no, I shudder to think about it.  I never see him again after the schools merged, but I would always remember him in his ah pek thin white t-shirt and ah pek light blue striped trousers, his grey hair and his lovely smile.  He was always very generous with his onion oil when I asked for more, he  also did not stop me from adding more after he added for me.

He is most probably not around anymore.  Oh... sigh!  It is just amazing that this fried hokkien mee has raked up my memory of this prawn mee ah pek.  He might not be the greatest man on earth, but he has left me the flavours of his soup, his kindness and his generosity.