Mee Siam (Singapore Style)

Blend the soaked chillies, shallots, garlic, candlenuts, lemongrass and drained dried shrimp into a paste. Add a splash of water if the blades stall.

Fry the paste in the oil over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. It will darken from bright red to a deep brick and a slick of oil will separate at the edge of the pan. That separation is the signal to move on.

💡 Stop early and the gravy tastes raw and rasping no matter how much sugar you add later. There is no shortcut past this twenty minutes.

Stir in the taucheo and fry 2 minutes more, then pour in the tamarind water and the stock. Add the palm sugar and salt, and simmer 15 minutes.

💡 Taste for the three-way balance now: sour first, then sweet, then salty, with the heat sitting underneath. Adjust with more tamarind or sugar, a spoonful at a time.

Drop in the prawns and tofu strips and cook 3 minutes, just until the prawns curl and turn opaque. The gravy should stay thin — pourable, not clinging.

Blanch the soaked vermicelli for 30 seconds in boiling water, drain hard, and divide between four bowls. Ladle the hot gravy over so the noodles are half-submerged.

Top each bowl with prawns, tofu, a halved egg, blanched bean sprouts and raw garlic chives. Put lime wedges on the side and squeeze one over just before the first mouthful.

💡 Squeeze the lime yourself at the table, not in the pot. Cooked lime juice goes flat and bitter; raw juice is what makes the bowl snap.