Prawn Mee

Ingredients: 1 bag shrimp heads and shells, (Ziploc Easy Zipper Bag) 15 cups water, reduced to about 12-13 cups of water after hours of boiling and simmering 2-3 pieces rock sugar, about the size of a small ping pong ball each, or to taste 1.5 lbs. (0.6 kg) pork ribs, cut into pieces salt to taste Chili Paste: 30 dried chilies, seeded and soaked to soften 10 shallots, peeled 5 cloves garlic, peeled 2 tablespoons water 6 tablespoons cooking oil 1 pound (0.4 kg) yellow noodles, scalded 1 pack rice vermicelli, scalded kangkong or water convolvulus, scalded bean sprouts, scalded Toppings: 1/2 pound (0.2 kg) lean pork meat, boiled and sliced thinly 1/2 pound (0.2 kg) shrimp, shelled and deveined 6 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and quartered fried shallot crisps, store-bought Instructions 1. Blend the chili paste ingredients with a mini food processor until finely ground and well blended. Heat up the wok and add cooking oil. Stir fry the chili paste for 5 minutes. Dish up and set aside. On the same wok unwashed, add in a little oil and cook the shrimp topping. Add in a little chili paste, sugar, and salt. Pan-fried the shrimp until they are slightly burned. Dish out, let cool and sliced them into halves. 2. Add 15 cups of water into a pot and bring it to bowl. Add in all the shrimp heads and shell and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours or longer until the stock becomes cloudy and tastes really prawny. 3. Strain the stock through sieve and transfer the stock into another pot. Discard the shrimp heads and shells. Scoop up and discard the orange "foam" forming at the top of the stock. 4. Bring the stock to boil again and add in half of the chili paste. You can add more chili paste if you like it spicier. 5. Add in the pork ribs and continue to boil in low heat for another 1-1.5 hour until the pork ribs are thoroughly cooked. 6. Add rock sugar and salt to taste. 7. To serve, place a portion of yellow noodles, rice vermicelli, water convolvulus and bean sprouts in a bowl. Ladle hot stock over. If desired, add a few pieces of pork ribs. Top with sliced pork meat, sliced shrimp, egg quarters, and sprinkle with shallot crisps. 8. Serve immediately with more chili paste to taste. Notes Traditionally, the shrimp heads and shells are stir-fried with oil until aromatic before adding them into the boiling water. You can do this extra step if you like. The hawkers in Penang also blended the shrimp heads and shells after they are briefly boiled to extract all the flavors from the shell. I tried this step before and found that the step is not necessary if you have plenty of shrimp heads and shells.