Flour Vermicelli 面线 （麵線）Hokkien Mee Swa

April 6 and April 8: Cos of cough, I'm advised by nurse to avoid fish and chicken. Hence,I'm taking the risk to use minced pork and canned chicken broth for this dish (as I am also getting sick of having all my soup tasting full of veges... :S ), and to prevent any morning sickness syndrome, I've added ginger to remove as much as possible, the "meaty" and "oily" taste of a usually tasteful dish. Hence, no sesame oil or fried onions are used to make this dish even more tasteful. :P

Ingredients:

• Tomatos x 1 at $0.225 (High in Vitamin C, and contains A, B... http://www.cookingnook.com/facts-about-tomatoes.html)
  
• Xiao Bai Cai x 2 at $0.40 (Rich source of minerals e.g. iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium, Vitamin K,C,E,... http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbsuperfoods/a/greensnutrition.htm)

• Minced Pork x 1/4 cup (I bought at $2.00 that can cater for about 5 servings) at abt. $0.40 (fat, sodium and protein.. http://www.thedailyplate.com/nutrition-calories/food/generic/lean-pork-mince)


• Flour Vermicelli x 2 bundles at abt. $0.28 (1 box contained 10 bundles, average priced at abt. $1.40 per box)


• Swanson Chicken Broth x 1/4 can at abt. $0.36 (1 can abt. $1.38)


• Ginger x 1 inch long at abt. $0.075 (bought 1 stem at $0.30 which can be used for abt 4to 5 times depending on the about of ginger you prefer)Egg x 1 at abt. $0.27 to 0.55 depending on the brands (good source of vitamins, protein and minerals, e.g. iron, calcium, phosphorus http://www.organicfacts.net/nutrition-facts/animal-products/nutritional-value-of-egg-and-egg-white.html)


• Total Cost (min: $2.01, max: $2.29)

OR

"on the 8th, I've run out of eggs and Xiao Bai Cai, hence, I dumped in the bean sprouts and spring onions that I've found in my fridge instead)"

• Spring Onion x 2 stalks at abt. $0.10 (High in Dietary Fibre, Vitamins A, C, ... http://www.great-workout.com/nutrition/vegetables/spring-onion-nutrition-facts.cfm)



• Bean Sprout x 50 g at abt. $0.10 (Vitamins A, B, C, E.. free from cholesterol.. ideal for anyone counting calaries.. .http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/29536/mung_bean_sprouts_nutritional_value


• Total Cost: $1.54

Method

I was having difficulties searching the right recipes for this dish as search for "vermicelli" or "Mian Sian" or "Mee Sua" kept returning me the wrong results such as those fry vermicelli (Dang1 Hun4) or spicy Mee Sua) and was already going to try mixing and matching the recipes I've found to get the soup Mian Sian that I want when to my surprise, inside the box (for the Sim Soon Fat Flour Vermicelli), was a copy of the directions for cooking in traditional chinese. It was a challenge to read as I am too used to English and simplified Chinese but skimming through it, it was a reassurance that this wouldn't be another disaster meal :P ).

And of course, to prevent another horrible tasting, I use Chicken broth this time round. Though I am supposed to abstain from Chicken because of my cough, I cannot imagine myself trying to down a "salt water vegetable soup" again. :P

1. Boil the egg for about 10 minutes and cut them into halves

2. Prepare the Ingredients concurrently

• Cut Tomatoes into 8 (cut according to your own preference)
• Cut and Wash Xiao Bai Cai (I've only cut away the base as I love long vegetables)
• Flour Vermicelli (as I don't like the "flour taste", I have also rinsed the vermicelli through water)
• Feel and Cut Ginger (I've cut about 4 x 1mm thick ginger to be boiled with the soup as I am afraid of the smell cos of my pregnant condition, remaining ginger used for minced pork)
• Minced Pork (As I'm afraid of the smell cos of my pregnant condition, I rinse the pork through two rounds of hot water, and marinate it with Soy Sauce, Pepper and Finely Chopped Ginger for about 10 minutes)
• Wash and cut the Spring Onions

3. Boil the water for the soup (I added about 1 big bowl - check out the bowl of the finished noodles for reference, of water)

4. Add in the 1/4 can of Chicken Broth (note: You can add more according to your preference. I have only added 1/4 can or lesser as again, I do not wish to have the oily and meaty taste)

5. After the water is brought to boil, add in ginger and half of the spring onions (this is optional) and continue to simmer til you smell the fragrance of the ginger.

6. Add in the remaining ingredients and boil for another 1 minute (for me, I added one more minute as I wanted the soup to taste more sour )

7. Add in the flour vermicelli and boil for another 1.5 minutes.

8. Serve the vermicelli with the cut eggs and sprinkle over the remaining spring onions

Additional Notes:
My Preferred Choice (recommended by Mum and sis' MIL) too

This tasted slightly thicker and more like spaghetti (you may use this if you refer thicker noodles) :