Thin rice noodles are braised in umami broth and seafood and then stir-fried and top with fried peanuts and seaweed, a signature of Heng Hwa style fried bee hoon at Putien restaurant.
Put the peanuts in a pan, pour some oil, just enough to cover the peanuts. The oil needs to be room temperature and not hot. Turn on the stove to medium-low. The oil will gradually heat up and start stirring the peanuts. We need to fry the peanuts low and slow. This is extremely important. I actually burned the peanuts several times because I started with hot oil
Frying peanuts take time. This may take 20 minutes or so. You need to keep stirring off and on to prevent the peanuts from burning. Remove the peanuts from the oil and test to see if they are crispy after cooling down. Don't test when they are still hot as they won't be crispy. If it's still soft after cooled down, you need to fry a bit longer
Prepare egg omelete:
Whisk the eggs and add seasonings. Preheat a non-stick pan, about 8 inches or so. Add about 1 tsp of oil. Pour 1/2 of the egg mixture and swirl the pan to coat the base. Use spatult to push the side of the egg and let the liquidy egg flow to cover the empty spot. Cook until the bottom has set and then flip over and cook for another 10-15 seconds. Remove and add another teaspoon of oil and cook the rest of the egg mixture
Use a knife to cut the omelete into 1/4-inch strips and set aside
Start cooking:
Preheat a large skillet or a wok. Add pork belly slices (I didn't use here) and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add red onion slices and saute for another minute. Add dried shrimp and mushrooms and saute until aromatic, about 2 minutes
Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add seasonings. Bring to a simmer and then add bok choy and simmer for about 1 minute. Add the dried bee hoon . Cover with a lid and cook for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Uncover the lid and add shrimp, scallops, squid, bok choy leave. Cover again and cook for another minute
Uncover the lid and you will notice most of the stock has been absorbed. Give it one last stir and have a taste. Adjust to your preference. Turn off the heat and leave it in a pan for about 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a serving platter
Top with fried peanuts, omelet strips, and seaweed. Serve immediately
Video
Notes
Traditionally the seaweed is deep-fried. I didn't want to deep fry the seaweed and just use the roasted seaweed (seasoned or not is up to you)