Birthday Mee Sua

With pork trotter broth & cavolo nero

SINGAPORE / MALAYSIA / BURMA

In Singapore, I celebrate two birthdays. On my official birthday, it’s the usual cakes and cheesy songs. On my lunar birthday, I’ll get a big bowl of ‘longevity noodles’, mee sua, topped with all sorts of goodies. This often involves pork, greens, a hard-boiled egg with its shell dyed to an auspicious red, and if I’m lucky, scallops. My mum will go all out with the stock, using pork trotters to make a soup that’s incredibly rich and robust. This cheap, overlooked part of the pig is full of bones and cartilage, and when simmered for a long time gives a meaty, gelatin-rich stock. I’ve learned that simply by varying the cut of meat and bones used, you can produce very different broths. This birthday broth remains one of my special favourites.

Serves 1

• 50g minced pork
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• a dash of white pepper
• 1 bundle of wheat vermicelli
• 1 stalk of cavolo nero, chopped
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• fried shallots (see here)
• fried ginger (see here)

For the stock (makes extra)

• 1 free-range pig’s trotter (about 1kg)
• 1 free-range chicken carcass or 500g bones
• a 5cm piece of ginger, smashed
• 2 litres water
• sea salt, to taste

1. Get your butcher to chop the pig’s trotter into more manageable pieces that will fit into your pot. At home, scrub them well, using tweezers to remove any remaining hair that the butcher might have missed. Scald the pork trotters and chicken bones in boiling water for 3 minutes, or until there are no more blood or impurities coming out, then drain and rinse.
2. In a large pot, bring the trotter, chicken bones and ginger to the boil in water. Add 2 big pinches of sea salt, then cover and turn the heat down to low. Skim off any scum that floats to the surface. Let simmer for 2 hours, until the meat is tender and the stock turns milky. Taste and adjust the seasoning with extra salt. Remove and discard the ginger and bones, but reserve the trotters for a separate side dish,* or serve with noodles.
3. While the stock is bubbling away, put the minced pork into a bowl with the soy sauce and white pepper and leave to marinate.
4. When ready to serve, blanch the wheat vermicelli in boiling water until cooked – less than a minute. Drain and dish out into a bowl. Repeat with the cavolo nero, draining once it turns bright green and is tender, then place on top of the noodles.
5. Bring a big ladleful of stock to a rolling boil. Blanch the minced pork in the stock for a minute, or until cooked. Pour the minced pork and hot broth over the noodles and top with the halved hard-boiled egg, fried shallots and fried ginger.