Finally, Tuaran Mee Recipe!

Finally, the recipe for Tuaran/Tamparuli mee (noodles). You won't find this recipe online (until now) and I don't think you even get to eat this anywhere but in Kota Kinabalu-Tuaran-Tamparuli because the dish originated from the Tuaran andTamparuli (small towns north of KK) and hasn't made it out of the state yet.

Tuaran and Tampurali mee are the same to me (for convenience, I'll use the term 'Tuaran noodles') although there may be some difference such as the width of the noodles, Tuaran noodles being very slightly narrower and rounder than Tamparuli noodles.

Tuaran noodles are ordinary fresh egg noodles without alkaline water so they don't give the springy bite you find in wonton noodles. The flour and eggs noodles smell so good that I am always tempted to eat them raw. The unusual thing about Tuaran noodles is that they are fried in oil first, then boiled and finally fried with egg. Fresh noodles, like fresh pasta, are impossible to fry. They will clump together in a soggy mess and if water is added, they will become pasty. The ingenious way of cooking fresh noodles by first lightly toasting them with some oil in the wok could have come about because toasting made them last longer without refridgeration. Remember Tuaran and Tampurali were sleepy countryside towns. When needed, the fried noodles are boiled and then fried. The lady who sold the noodles taught me the steps in preparing them for frying but I worried that the noodles, being heavy and wet, would break upon frying. But it's a new year and I want to try new recipes, just like you do.

To be sure, I dropped by a coffee shop near Austral Park to buy some roasted pork for the topping but the real reason was I was hoping to talk to the cook. Was I lucky, because the lady who owned the shop was tending to some customers and the cook happened to walk by. He confirmed that Tuaran noodles are first fried, then boiled, then fried again. Why, I asked, are they boiled? He answered, like a teacher talking to a dumb student, that if the noodles aren't boiled, they'll be too crunchy and stiff to fry. Oh. One more question, I quickly asked, seeing that the owner was moving towards us, when do I add the egg? I enjoy asking restaurant cooks their recipes and methods. Most of them will tell if the bosses aren't around.

I am very happy with the results of my first plate of Tuaran mee. The noodles aren't hard to fry and are not as greasy as the restaurants'. The greasiness is one reason I avoid Tuaran noodles. Even Yi turned out a good plate, better than mine (if Yi can cook, anyone can too). The frying, boiling, then frying make sense. The first frying is to dry the noodles out and to give them a toasted fragrance. My plate of noodles were slightly under-fried; more browning would give the noodles a slightly charred and toasted flavor. The boiling is to soften and re-hydrate the noodles so that water needn't be added during the next frying step, reducing breakage. Boiling the noodles also washes away most of the oil. The final frying is to season the noodles and to add an egg to give the noodles a slightly creamy taste and texture.

I buy Tuaran noodles at the Dah Yeh shops, second shop on the left. If you can't get Tuaran noodles, I think you may use fresh wonton noodles the same way.



Fresh Tuaran egg noodles.



First frying of the noodles.



The noodles after the first frying and before boiling. The more browned or toasted the noodles, the better the flavor.



Tuaran Fried Mee (2 persons)
2 'nests' of Tuaran mee
1/2 cup meat topping*
1 large handful of sawi/chai xin greens, in 4-5 cm lengths & blanched
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1/2 t salt
white pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 t sugar
1 t chicken stock powder or a pinch of msg

*This can be slices of cha sau, sau rou (bbq & roasted pork) or fresh meat, seasoned and fried, or even cooked prawns and slices of fish if pork is not your meat of choice.

1. Heat up the wok and add 2 T (or more if like) of veg oil. When wok starts to smoke, throw in the noodles, loosening or fluffling them with your hands in the air. Spread out the noodles and let them fry a while before moving them around to get even frying. When some of the noodles start to brown, (turn over to see), turn over and fry another few minutes. More browning gives more flavor. Remove onto a plate. The fried noodles can keep for a few days in the fridge.

2. Boil a pot of water and add the fried noodles. Do not add too much noodles so that after adding the noodles, the water will come to a boil quickly. One way to make the water come to a boil quickly is to make sure there's plenty of water and little bit of noodles. Keeping the heat very high, stir the noodles gently and check for doneness by tasting. Do not let noodles cook too long. Drain well and quickly go to the next step because the noodles will soften and clump after the boiling. For this reason, it's best to have the pot side by side with the wok, timing it so that you can add the noodles from the pot to the wok without waiting too long from step 2 to 3.

3. Heat up the same wok, add 3 T of veg oil and pour in the egg. When egg is half cooked, add the noodles and toss well with a pair of chopsticks. Add the salt, sugar, pepper and chicken powder/msg. You may need to add more salt; adjust the seasoning. Add the cooked veg last and dish onto a serving plate. Scatter the topping over and serve with a hot chili sauce.