Thin wheat vermicelli noodles are topped with delicious oyster pieces and thick gooey umami broth is a popular Taiwanese street food you can easily make at your kitchen too.
I learned of orh ah mee sua or known as oyster mee sua when I visited Taiwan many years ago. I had this bowl of bubbling hot and gooey oyster mee sua served in a wide and tall paper cup/bowl at the famous Taiwan Shilin night market. Tables and chairs were set up on the street (literally a street food) and we were happily slurping this bowl of goodness. I know you may think “gooey?” It’s a weird description but it’s so good. Traditional orh ah mee sua is also served with braised pig’s intestine.
SIMPLIFIED VERSION
This version of Taiwanese oyster mee sua is a much-simplified version without the pig’s intestine and the broth is easily made, but I can tell you that it’s still enough to satisfy that craving for orh ah mee sua to the least.
SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
1. MEE SUA (WHEAT VERMICELLI NOODLES)
Don’t be mistaken with rice vermicelli noodles, which are made with rice or mungbean thread noodles, which are made with mungbeans. Wheat vermicelli noodles are made with wheat flour and usually salted, so it’s not gluten-free. The Taiwanese will use the brown mee sua to cook this dish. The red/brown mee sua has been treated with high heat and caramelizes into brown color and it can withstand prolong cooking compared to regular white mee sua. If you can find brown mee sua, go ahead and use that. I can’t even find a regular white mee sua here. Sadly! 🙁 My mom brought me some when she visited but we are out of stock now! So, the closest substitution to mee sua is the Japanese somen noodles, which is my daughter’s favorite. It behaves quite like mee sua.
2. SWEET POTATO STARCH
The oyster pieces are coated with sweet potato starch and then boiled in a water very briefly until the starch turns translucent, giving the osyter a smooth texture. Sweet potato starch is not very common, but I can find it at certain Asian grocery store. If you can’t find sweet potato starch, you can use regular potato starch (not potato flour)
3. BONITO FLAKES
Bonito flakes are easy way to add that umami taste to the broth. I ran out of bonito flakes and I used dashi kombu instead, and it worked out just fine too.
4. CHINESE BLACK VINEGAR
I like my osyster mee sua with a splash of Chinese black vinegar. A slight tartness complement a seafood dish like dish pretty well.
HOW TO MAKE EASY TAIWANESE OYSTER MEE SUA
1. PREPARE THE BROTH
Pour 6 cups of chicken broth in a large pot. Bring to a boil and then add bonito flakes and let it simmer for about 10 minutes then strain the stock. If you are using dried kombu as I did, when the water is boiling, add the kombu pieces and turn off the heat. Let it steep for 10 minutes to let the flavor infuse the broth. Don’t boil the kombu as it turns bitter.
Remove the kombu pieces after that and discard
Add seasonings into the broth and have a taste and adjust to your taste. Keep in mind that we will be cooking mee sua, which is already salty in nature, directly in this broth. So don’t season with too much salt
2. COAT OYSTER WITH SWEET POTATO STARCH
Gently rinse the oyster in clean water. Pat them dry. Coat each piece of oyster in the sweet potato starch
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the oyster piece and cook until the starch turns translucent, about 10-15 seconds. Refresh in cold water and then toss with a bit of sesame oil to prevent the oyster pieces sticking to each other. Set aside
3. TO SERVE
Mix cornstarch with water. Right before serving, bring the broth back to a boil. Add the mee sua noodles directly into the broth
Cook until they are soft but not mushy
While the noodles are simmering, give cornstarch mixture a good stir and then gradually pour it in and keep gently stirring with one hand to thicken the sauce. If it’s thick enough for you, you don’t have to add all the cornstarch solution. Turn off the heat
Portion the noodles into a serving bowl. Add some oysters. Garnish with fresh green onions, cilantro leaves, fried shallots crisp, and serve with black vinegar on the side. Serve immediately
IMPORTANT TIPS
1. Mee sua noodles are salty in nature, so don’t over season your broth. You can always adjust more taste after you cook the mee sua in the broth
2. White mee sua doesn’t take long to cook, so don’t overcook it into a mush. If you use brown mee sua, it may take slightly longer to cook, but watch it not to overcook the noodles too
3. Only cook the mee sua when you are ready to serve. You can only prepare the broth ahead, but once you cook the mee sua, it has to be served immediately or the noodles will continue to soften and turn into a mush in the end of the day
DID YOU MAKE THIS EASY TAIWANESE OYSTER MEE SUA RECIPE?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Taiwanese Oyster Mee Sua (Orh Ah Mee Sua)
Ingredients
- 300 gr mee sua (wheat vermicelli) can be substituted with somen noodles
- 200 gr oysters fresh or frozen
- 3 Tbsp sweet potato starch
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
For the broth:
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup bonito flakes or use about 15-20 grams of kombu
Seasonings:
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- Salt to taste
To thicken the sauce:
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
Serve with:
- 1 stalk green onion chopped
- Chinese black viegar
- 1 Fresh cilantro leaves
- Crispy fried shallots / bawang goreng
Instructions
Prepare the broth:
- Pour 6 cups of chicken broth in a large pot. Bring to a boil and then add bonito flakes and let it simmer for about 10 minutes then strain the stock. If you are using dried kombu as I did, there is no need to wash the kombu piece or trying to wipe off the whitish part on the kombu. When the water is boiling, add the kombu pieces and turn off the heat. Let it steep for 10 minutes to let the flavor infuse the broth. Don't boil the kombu as it turns bitter. Remove the kombu pieces after that and discard
- Add seasonings into the broth and have a taste and adjust to your taste. Keep in mind that we will be cooking mee sua, which is already salty in nature, directly in this broth. So don't season with too much salt
Prepare the oyster:
- Gently rinse the oyster in clean water. Pat them dry. Coat each piece of oyster in the sweet potato starch. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the oyster piece and cook until the starch turns translucent, about 10-15 seconds. Refresh in cold water and then toss with a bit of sesame oil to prevent the oyster pieces sticking to each other. Set aside
Serve:
- Mix cornstarch with water. Right before serving, bring the broth back to a boil. Add the mee sua noodles directly into the broth and cook until they are soft but not mushy. White mee sua doesn't take long to cook. The mee sua will leach out some starch and that will slightly thicken the broth too
- Give cornstarch mixture a quick stir to make sure nothing settles at the bottom and then gradually pour it in and keep gently stirring with one hand to thicken the sauce. If it's thick enough for you, you don't have to add all the cornstarch solution. Turn off the heat
- Portion the noodles into a serving bowl. Add some oysters. Garnish with fresh green onions, cilantro leaves, fried shallots crisp, and serve with black vinegar on the side. Serve immediately
Notes
IF YOU LIKE OYSTER MEE SUA, YOU MAY LIKE THIS ORH JIAN / OYSTER OMELETTE
How To Make Orh Jian (Hawker Fried Oyster Omelette)
