Sarawakian Pucuk Manis Bee Hoon is a simple and delicious rice vermicelli dish to include in your weeknight dinners! It comes together on the stove in 15 minutes. This dish uses pucuk manis, which has a sweet undertone to it but feel free to use any leafy vegetables on hand.
Selamat Hari Malaysia!
In the spirit of Malaysia Day, I want to share an East Malaysian dish. Whenever I think of Sarawak, pucuk manis bee hoon or 玛尼菜炒米粉 immediately comes to mind. I used to work at a vegetarian restaurant called Eletime, and the chefs were all Ibans from Sarawak. They brought their cultural food with them, and it became one of Eletime’s signature dishes!
The special ingredient in Sarawakian bee hoon
… is pucuk manis! One of my all-time favourite greens, pucuk manis is a local leafy vegetable that has a sweet undertone to it (manis means sweet in Malay).
It’s most commonly found in soups or Pan Mee (I didn’t know it’s name before this, I always used to call it Pan Mee veggie 😂) because it’s a bit tougher. But it can be stir-fried as well! If you live in a place where you can’t buy pucuk manis, feel free to switch it with other leafy greens. It won’t be Sarawakian style anymore, but it’ll still taste delicious.
The difference between Hari Merdeka and Hari Malaysia
In Peninsular Malaysia, we celebrate our independence on the 31st of August, Hari Merdeka. So what is Hari Malaysia or Malaysia Day?
Hari Malaysia falls on the 16th of September. In the year 1963, on this day Malaya, North Borneo (now called Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore merged together to form Malaysia (though, Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1965 and became an independent country).
If you didn’t know, there are two parts of Malaysia separated by the sea: West Malaysia and East Malaysia. Many West Malaysians (like my family) tend to travel within the peninsular because it’s more convenient, but that’s really a shame. My mom brought me to Sabah many years ago, and I can barely remember the details. I have yet to discover more of East Malaysia; the culture, places and of course food!
Hopefully I can be able to visit Sabah and Sarawak again. Until then, I’ll be munching on these noodles…
If you liked this recipe, I think you’ll love these as well:
- Vegan Pan Fried Mushroom + Chive Buns (生煎包)
- Chinese Stir Fried Glass Noodles (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
- Vegan Steamed Crystal Dumplings (Chai Kueh 菜粿)
- Vegan Hokkien Mee
- Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu
I love it when you make my recipes! Leave a comment and rating below, tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss or Facebook @Eatwkriss. Remember to use the hashtag #eatwkriss so that I can see your amazing recreations.
Sarawakian Pucuk Manis Bee Hoon/马尼菜炒米粉
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 shallots sliced
- 100 g rice vermicelli/bee hoon
- 40 g dried bean curd skin
- 200 g pucuk manis leaves
- 100 g beansprouts
- ½ yellow onion sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ cup vegetable stock sub with water
- salt and white pepper to taste
- 1 red chili diced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- Break the dried bean curd skin into small sheets and soak in water for one hour. Slice roughly. Soak the rice vermicelli in water for 15 minutes. Cut into shorter strands with a pair of scissors and drain away the water.
- In a large pan over medium heat, fry the shallots in the cooking oil until crispy and golden brown, 4 minutes. Remove the shallots and set aside.
- Fry the onions and garlic until fragrant. Stir in the bean curd skin and pucuk manis. Pour in soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable stock and cook for a few minutes. Add the cut up rice vermicelli and beansprouts, mixing well until everything is combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle fried shallots over the top and serve with red chili in soy sauce. Enjoy while it is fresh!
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