With most raw ingredients widely available locally, I make this dish quite frequently. However, it of course cannot compare with what you get in Malaysia, even the very worst ones :-(( . However, I believe I have theoretically worked out exactly how it can be done perfectly, but unfortunatley, circumstances does not permit it in the UK.
The things I lack:
- a cooker hot enough to achieve "wok hei"
- the right kind of ho fun noodles. Quality CKT requires thin, yet firm, fresh ho fun. The two fresh varieties available in Manchester are quite thick.- blood clams or "see hum"
- chinese chives. You can buy this in Manchester, but seems a waste to buy a 100g bunch just for a small dish of CKT.
The things that I can do, but don't:
- use lard. I usually have none available and making crispy pork fat bits are unhealthy.
- use chilli - because my family does not like it spicy.
- I don't use a wok, but a non-stick flat pan so as to not use too much oil. The raw ho fun itself is already very oily.
- Use of chopped preserved veg in the browning process. I'm afraid I don't know what veg it is they use, although I am sure it is available in Chinatown!
Here is the ho fun. It is bought folded up in a pack, like the cheong fun below, made by the same manufacturer. I immerse it in hot water to loosen and soften it.
The ingredients are garlic, squid, chinese sausage, prawns, fish cake and beansprouts (not pictured).
The sauces are sweet soy (blended with a little bit of the sauces pictured below .. only a LITTLE BIT!) and light soy.
And in the pan, only a tiny bit of vegetable oil to brown the garlic before putting in the noodles.
