Keyword: healthy vegetarian noodles, vegetarian bee hoon, zai mi fen
Prep Time: 40 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 20 minutesminutes
Total Time: 1 hourhour
Servings: 8
Calories: 362kcal
Author: Bee Leng | The Burning Kitchen
Vegetarian Bee Hoon is a favourite fried breakfast indulgence in Singapore. My healthier version uses less oil and zero MSG, with just one small indulgence - crispy mock goose!
Soak bee hoon with room temperature water for 30 - 40 mins or until soft, ensuring the water covers the bee hoon completely. Rinse and drain dry.
Cut the mock goose into 1-inch squares. Do not wash.
Peel the carrots and shred thinly.
Remove the roots of the bean sprout. Wash and drain dry.
Wash the cabbage and cut into rectangles of about 1 inch wide and 2 inch long.
Wash the spring onion and cut it into small pieces.
Remove the skin of the garlic and chop finely.
COOKING METHOD
In a wok, add 200ml oil over medium low heat, then deep fry the mock goose in small batches until golden brown but not charred. Remove and place on plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb excess oil. Once cool, immediately place in air tight container. Remove excess oil from wok.
In the wok, add 1 tbsp of shallot oil over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of chopped garlic and fry till aromatic. Add in the bean sprouts and fry for about 1-2 min. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Next, add 1 tbsp of shallot oil and 2 tsp of garlic and fry till aromatic. Add in the carrots and fry for a min before adding in the cabbage and 1/2 tsp of salt. Continue to fry until vegetables are slightly limp but still crunchy. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
In the same wok, add 1 tbsp shallot oil over medium high heat. Add in 1 tsp of garlic and fry till aromatic. Next, quickly add the vegetable stock, 1 tsp salt, light soya sauce, pepper and mushroom sauce and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, lower heat to medium, then add bee hoon and toss with chopsticks constantly until stock is fully absorbed. Add salt / soya sauce to taste.
Once bee hoon is soft, add in the cabbage, carrot and bean sprouts, and toss with chopsticks until all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
Transfer to serving dish and garnish with spring onion, crispy shallots and mock goose. Serve with pickled green chilli.
Notes
MARKETING TIPS
Get the mock goose (or sweet crispy bean sheet) from any stall which sells vegetarian ingredients at the wet market (these stalls will have the word Zai displayed in front of it). Stall holders commonly refer to it as Zai Er (Vegetarian Goose). Here's a picture of the brand that I used.
Buy Chilli Brand bee hoon - it does not break as easily, compared to other brands I've tried.
Use mature garlic rather than young garlic. Young garlic tends to turn greenish in colour once chopped, and it is not as flavourful as mature garlic!
PREP TIPS
Soak the bee hoon in room temperature water, not boiling water, otherwise it will break easily during frying.
Do all the chopping for garlic in batches and always keep a jar of chopped garlic in your refrigerator because it is used in so many Chinese dishes. Best to use a glass jar with a metal lid to help keep the garlic fresh and aromatic!
Make your own vegetable stock in advance. Please look out for my vegetable stock recipe which is on the way.
COOKING TIPS
Control the heat when you fry mock goose, as it gets burnt easily. To heat up the oil at the start, use medium heat. When the oil is heated up, add in the mock goose. Once it starts to change color, lower the heat to medium low. When it turns light brown, lower the heat further and continue to fry until it turns golden.
Fry the vegetables separately as each one has a different cooking time.
Add more water and/or light sauce if it is not salty or if the bee hoon is still hard.
Add in shredded French Bean, thinly sliced yellow onion and shredded mushroom to the Zai Mi Fen if you like.
WHAT IF I HAVE LEFTOVERS?
Set aside a portion of the vegetarian bee hoon before you add the bean sprouts to fry. Bean sprouts turn bad very quickly, so once it is added, it needs to be consumed shortly after, and it is not advisable to store it overnight.
Keep mock goose stored in an air tight container after it is completely cooled, in order to retain the crispiness.