HOW TO MAKE STIR-FRIED HAIRY GOURD WITH GLASS NOODLES
PREPARATION (15 min)
Wash the dried shrimp. Then soak in a bowl of hot water until soft.
Set aside the shrimp water for later use. Chop the dried shrimp coarsely.
Soak the glass noodles with hot water until soft, then wash and drain.
To remove the hairy skin of the hairy gourd, it is easier to use a knife instead of a peeler because the skin is very tough. Use the part of the knife edge closest to the handle to scrape off the skin along the length of the hairy gourd. It is easier to scrape if you hold one side of the hairy gourd slightly off the table while scraping.
Wash and slice the hairy gourd into 5 mm slices. Angling the knife diagonally to elongate the size of the cross-sections.
Arrange the slices into small stacks. Slicing into 5 mm strips stack by stack.
COOKING (15 min)
Add oil into a wok over medium heat.
Add in the dried shrimp and fry for a few mins until aromatic. You can lower the heat if the dried shrimp starts to bubble or splatter.
Add in the garlic and fry until aromatic.
Add in the hairy gourd and turn up the heat to medium-high.
Fry the hairy gourd with the dried shrimp and garlic for a few minutes until well mixed.
Add in the bowl of dried shrimp water and mix well
Add in the salt and light sauce
Lastly, add in the glass noodles and mix well using a scooping action to minimise breakage. Add in another bowl of water and continue to simmer for another 5 mins or until the hairy gourd is limp but not disintegrated.
Add more light sauce to taste if needed, then serve hot.
Notes
MARKETING TIPS
Don't confuse Tang Hoon with Bee Hoon. Tang Hoon is made from mung bean while Bee Hoon is made from rice. Cooked Tang Hoon is transparent in appearance while cooked Bee Hoon is white.
Use Singto (Lion) brand Tang Hoon from Thailand. There are different brands of Tang Hoon / Glass Noodles in the market. Some brands are very powdery and starchy after cooking, and some break easily/become mushy during cooking. My favourite brand is from Singto (Lion) Brand Bean Vermicelli from Thailand. You can find it in any supermarket selling Thai ingredients look out for the lion picture on the packaging. I like this brand because it has a very bouncy 'QQ' texture when cooked.
COOKING TIPS
It is important to fry the dried shrimp until aromatic before adding the garlic, because garlic has a shorter cooking time and gets burnt easily. Once burnt, it will give a bitter taste and ruin the whole dish.
Use a scooping action to minimise breakage of the hairy gourd and glass noodle strands. Don't fry using a downward chopping motion, especially if using a metal spatula. Instead, scoop the ingredients from the bottom of the wok and toss. This prevents the hairy gourd and Tung Hoon from getting broken up during the frying.
Do not cut the hairy gourd too thin or too thick. If it is cut too thin, it will break easily and become mushy. On the other hand, if it is cut too thick, it is harder to cook.
ADJUSTMENTS
The saltiness of the dish will be affected by the dried shrimps used. Some brands of dried shrimp are very salty even after it is soaked and some are not. Hence it is best to taste the dish and adjust the amount of salt and soya sauce accordingly.
You may need to add more water because Tang Hoon absorbs a lot of water, and how much water it absorbs also depend on the brand of Tang Hoon being used. After adding 1 bowl of water, check to see whether it is too dry. You may need to add up to 1 more bowl of water.