XO Pipis with Crispy Rice Noodles (XO 蜆煎米底)

XO Pipis with Crispy Rice Noodles on a plate.

5 from 7 votes

XO Pipis with Crispy Rice Noodles (XO 蜆煎米底)

XO Pipis with Crispy Rice Noodles are OUTRAGEOUSLY good. They're tossed in homemade XO Sauce and come bursting with savory flavor!

Prep Time1 20

Cook Time45

Noodle Soaking Time10

Total Time2 15

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Cantonese, Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 360kcal

Author: Jeannette

Equipment

Metal spoon

Ingredients

1 kg / 2.2 lb pipi (fresh from the fishmonger)
200 g / 0.44 lb rice noodle (a.k.a Chinese mei fun, not the Vietnamese version)
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
4 tbsp XO sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp black bean garlic sauce (we use the jarred version from the Asian supermarket)
1/4 US cup oil (1/2 for frying the noodles and 1/2 for stir frying the sauce)
2 US cup chicken stock
1 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
starch slurry (1 tbsp potato starch mixed with 1 tbsp water)

Instructions

Soak the pipis in cool water with a stainless steel soon for 1 hour, then drain them in a colander. It's said that the metal will encourage the shellfish to open up.
Boil enough water in a pot to cover every pipi and pour them in to cook for 5 minutes or until they've just started to open up.
Meanwhile, mix together the XO Sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sugar and black bean garlic sauce. Set it aside as you work on the other ingredients.
Drain the pipis in a colander to drip dry.
While the seafood is drying, heat up a pan with the 1/2 the oil on high heat. Pour the noodles in and turn the heat down to medium to fry for 10 minutes or until golden.
Pro Tip: Organize the noodles so that they fit nicely on the area of your serving dish. If you have a pan or wok with a surface area just larger than the plate, spread the strands out to fill it up completely.
Flip the cooked mei fun over to brown for another 10 minutes, then plate.
Note: If you find that the wok is getting dry and too smoky, drizzle some oil along the sizes of the pan and let it run into the center.
Use scissors to cut the circle into 8 pieces like a pizza. This will make it easier to eat when served.
Pour the remaining oil in the wok on medium heat and add the garlic in to brown for 30 seconds. Add the mixed paste in from earlier and stir for 20 seconds. Turn the heat up to high and add the chicken stock in to simmer for 1 minute.
Add the drained pipis in and stir them through for 1 minute. Push the seafood aside and mix the slurry up until combined. Pour it slowly onto the part with just sauce while stirring quickly to thicken the gravy, then mix it all through the dish.
Transfer everything onto the fried noodles and serve immediately as is!

Notes

Use fresh ingredients. Make sure you find shellfish in water or tanks at the fishmonger, otherwise enjoy a family day at the beach digging for them!
Make it just before serving. The sauce will soak each noodle strand and make it soggy if left for too long, so make sure to cook everything to be eaten immediately.
Coat the noodles with sauce. This will give it more flavor and moisture.
Pipis are sold fresh from the fishmonger. If you can't get your hands on any, you can use clams instead. These can come frozen as well, which will also work for this dish. Just make sure to thaw them if you choose to do the latter.
You can buy XO Sauce in jars at Asian supermarkets. Keep an eye out for them near the cashier.
Soak the dry noodles in cool water for 10 minutes. Alternatively, steam them on high heat for 5 minutes after soaking to quicken the cooking process. Make sure the strands are then left to dry on a colander before frying.

Nutrition