Fried Vermicelli [Nyonya Style - From Scratch]

I like vermicelli very much, especially fried vermicelli. I can eat one big plate if do not have to worry about calories. T did not like it when we first met but his taste buds have changed over the years. He is now also a vermicelli lover, as much as I do. As for little J, he loves it too but he will make a mess feeding himself with vermicelli landed around his highchair as if he was having a haircut!

Simple fried vermicelli is the most frequent vermicelli dish I cooked, followed by Japanese style (shio yaki-soba), Malay style (bee hoon goreng), Hokkien style and so forth. Tried something new few days ago since I had all ingredients on hand. Both T and I agreed that it tasted like tomyum vermicelli cooked with tomyum paste. Perhaps, I can use the paste recipe for making tomyum soup next time.

Ingredients (makes 2-3 servings):
150g vermicelli, soaked
150g squid/prawn, cleaned
50g bean sprout or other vege (I used cabbage)
1 red chilli, seeded and sliced
1 tbsp assam paste
1 tbsp cooking oil
Water
Salt to taste
Green veges for garnish

Paste:
30g dried shrimp, soaked (reserve the water)
3-4 bulbs shallot
3-4 cloves garlic
3-4 slices ginger
1-2 slices galangal
1-2 slices turmeric (I used turmeric powder)
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped coarsely
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
1 tbsp sambal tumis

Methods:

1. Soak vermicelli until softened, drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, pound together ingredients for paste, except sambal tumis, until well blended.
3. Heat wok and add in cooking oil. Add in paste (2) and cook until its aroma is released then add in sambal tumis and stir until blended.
4. Add in assam paste, water from soaking dried shrimp and additional 1 cup water and bring to boil. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add in vermicelli and salt to taste. Then add in seafood and cook until all liquid is absorbed.
6. Add vegetables and chilli and cook for another minute.
7. Transfer to plate and garnish if desired.

Cook's Notes:

1. Adjust the amount of water if necessary as not all vermicelli has same water absorption rate. Add small amount of water first, if too dry then add more (hot water).
2. If sambal tumis is not available, add 3-4 red chillis and 1 cm of toasted belacan and pound together.