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a bowl of rice noodle with chopsticks, chili oil and cilantro.
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5 from 3 votes

Butternut Squash Mei Fun (Taiwanese Style Chow Mei Fun)

Classic Taiwanese stir fry rice vermicelli noodles with butternut squash.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Taiwanese
Servings: 4 people
Author: Edwina

Ingredients

  • ½ medium sized butternut squash peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes, about 3 cups
  • 6 oz rice vermicelli noodle try to get one made with just rice and water
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 3 clove garlic
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 5-6 dried shiitake mushroom presoak in cold water two hours prior
  • 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 shallot thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon dried shrimp minced

Sauce & Seasoning

  • 1 tablespoon rice cooking wine optional
  • 3 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tsp oyster sauce optional
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ tsp white pepper powder
  • 1-2 cup chicken broth
  • salt

other

  • 1 stalk celery finely chopped
  • cilantro chopped

Instructions

Prepare rice vermicelli noodle

  • Bring 3 qt water to a boil, when the water is boiling, add the dried rice vermicelli noodles and cook for about 30 seconds or until it's softened.
  • Place the noodles in a bowl, toss it with sesame oil then cover with a lid (or plate) and set aside.

Prepare garlic sauce

  • Press garlic through the garlic press or grate with microplane, place it in a small bowl, mix with water and set it aside.
    rice noodle in a white bowl with lid.

Prepare shiitake mushroom

  • Gently squeeze out the water in the shaiitake mushroom before slicing. Toss the sliced mushroom with a pinch of salt and set it aside.

Cooking

  • Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok over medium heat, while the oil is still cold, add shallot and stir a few times for it to combine with oil. Cook until it's aromatic (not brown), around 2 minutes.
  • Add shiitake mushroom and cook for another minute.
    mushroom and shallot in a black skillet.
  • Add dried shrimp, stir and cook for another minute or until the shallot starts to turn brown.
  • Add butternut squash, stir and cook just until the surface softens, about 1-2 minutes.
    butternut squash cubes, mushroom and shallot in a black skillet.
  • Add rice cooking wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper powder and one cup of chicken broth and mix well.
  • Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pan with a lid and let it cook until the squash is softened and can be broken up easily with a spatula (about 5-7 minutes). Add more broth If the liquid dries up before the squash softens.
  • Mash half of the squash with the spatula.
  • Use a pair of tongs to toss and combine the noodles with everything else in the pan. You might need to add more water/broth (about ½-1 cup) to loosen the noodles, which will make the tossing easier. Try and see if it needs more salt.
  • Finally, stir in celery and top with cilantro before serving.
  • Drizzle a bit of garlic sauce before enjoying.