Oyster Vermicelli (Ô-á mī-sòaⁿ)
Overview
Oyster vermicelli is one of the most famous street foods of Taiwan. Thin, light brown wheat vermicelli, steamed until it is soft and almost silky, is cooked in a savoury broth made with bonito flakes and soy sauce and thickened with starch until it is glossy and slightly sticky. Small fresh oysters, coated in sweet potato starch and quickly blanched so they stay plump, and pieces of braised pork intestine are added to each bowl. It is finished with a spoon of garlic paste, black vinegar, chilli and chopped coriander. People eat it standing at night markets, often with a spoon rather than chopsticks.
History
The dish comes from the Taiwanese Hokkien tradition of mee sua, thin wheat noodles brought from Fujian. Oysters are farmed widely along the west coast of Taiwan, and street vendors began combining them with the noodles and a thick broth in the twentieth century. Ay-Chung in Ximending, Taipei, opened in 1975 and is famous for selling only the intestine version from a big pot to queues of customers. Today it is found in every night market.
Main ingredients
Thin wheat vermicelli, oysters, pork intestine, bonito broth, garlic, coriander. The soup is built on thickened bonito broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Pork soups · Noodle soups · Barley and grains soups · More soups from Taiwan
Recipe
Method
- 110 min
Simmer the stock with the bonito flakes and soy sauce for 10 minutes, then strain.
- 2
Add the vermicelli in short pieces and simmer until soft.
- 3
Thicken the broth with the starch slurry.
- 41 min
Toss the oysters in starch, blanch for 1 minute and add with the intestine.
- 5
Serve with garlic paste, black vinegar and coriander.
- ✓
Serve. About 1 h from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
