Tom Yum Fusion Noodles

A yummy Asian fusion using ingredients from at least three cuisines — Thai (tom yum and fish sauce), Chinese (rice vermicelli and soy sauce) and Korean (gochujang). Coriander leaves and stems bring added fragrance and freshness to this spicy and savoury dish.

In strainer — baby chye sim and coriander leaves; on cutting board, clockwise from top right — fish sauce, garlic, oyster sauce, gochujang, tom yum paste. Not pictured: dark soya sauce and white pepper.

Thick rice vermicelli, of the kind often used for laksa. It is thicker than bee hoon.

Frozen shelled prawns and pangasius fish chunks, rinsed under running water before use.

NOTES:

As can be seen in the picture, I use chilled rice vermicelli that only needs to be rinsed in water before using. If using dried noodles, prepare according to package instructions. You might need to reduce the amount, as boiling would add weight to the noodles.
Rice vermicelli can be quite fragile, so do be gentle with it, or the noodles will turn to mush.
Chye sim is also known as choy sum and cai xin. Bok choy and gai lan can be close substitutes.
I use frozen seafood for this dish because of the ease and convenience. I always have frozen bags of fish, prawns, squid or other seafood to make dishes like fried noodles, as I can use small amounts as and when I need them. Fresh seafood can be used instead.
For the tom yum paste, I use Hollyfarms brand.
Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl before you start cooking. You can also add a bit of water to thin the sauce, if necessary.
You can increase the gochujang for more heat.
Dark soya sauce is used as the final seasoning for this dish, as it also adds colour as well as umami to the dish. Use to taste, as too much can be overpowering.
This dish can serve 4 hungry people.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp canola oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
400g large shelled frozen prawns
300g frozen pangasius fish cubes — cut into bite-sized pieces
200g baby chye sim — cut stems and leaves into 1-inch lengths.
840g thick rice vermicelli
100g coriander leaves — cut into 1-inch lengths
1 tbsp dark soya sauce, or to taste
About 1 tsp white pepper, or to taste

SAUCE:

1 tbsp tom yum paste
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp gochujang

METHOD:

Heat oil in pan to medium high. Fry garlic till fragrant. Add fish cubes and prawns and fry till seafood turns opaque and is cooked through.
Add chye sim into pan. Continue frying until chye sim wilts a little.
Add the rice vermicelli to the pan and pour the sauce on top.
With a spatula, gently mix all the ingredients together with a lifting and folding motion, so as not to break up the noodles too much.
Check the flavour of the dish at this point. Different brands of sauces will have varying levels of saltiness.
Add first 1 tbsp of dark soya sauce and a sprinkling of white pepper. Mix gently. Check for seasoning and colour of the noodles again. Add more soy sauce and pepper if necessary.
Lastly, add in the coriander leaves and stir fry until heated through.
Serve hot.