If you happened to live in the UK you have to plan your cook. The other day when it was so sunny I fried the salt fish (kiam hue, in Hokkien) I brought back all the way from Kuching. I do this in my garden which I have a cooking stove set up. This is where I usually do my frying, toasting belacan and cooking sambal in batches. It means that I do not have to make my house smell or clean my kitchen like mad. I have done this ever since I moved to UK. One of the first thing I requested from hubby.

The salt fish can be kept in an airtight container after frying and use at will. I like to fry with a bit more oil too as the flavoured oil can be used for a lot of other dishes and today I used it for this steam beancurd dish.

I bought some ribs last month, washed, portioned and packed them into my freezer for such an occasion. I added some salt fish oil to the ribs and give them a 30 minutes steaming before adding in the beancurd and some salt fish, not all. (Must eat sparingly as not sure when I will get some next)

Kiam Hue steamed pork belly or minced pork is one of those dish that makes you go for that extra bowl of rice. On a cold raining day like today it is fabulous.

This is such an easy dish to cook. I literally start by frying the salt fish on low heat and start slicing the rest of the stuff, Then it is a matter of assembling and steaming.

After frying the salt fish next fry the ginger until crispy. Then assemble the rest.

The biggest challenge is to find the strength to stop eating at one bowl of rice.

My salt fish came all the way back with me from Kuching. I just brought home 2 big fishes, dried them in the sun, portioned and vacuum sealed them into my freezer. Treat them like gold and eat extremely, EXTREMELY slowly.

TIP – My hubby don’t eat pork belly. If you have one such fussy person at home you can put sliced pork belly one side and mince pork another side.

TIP – it is important to mix the 2 tablespoon or more of the oil with the pork belly before steaming. This is to make sure the pork belly will be in slices separately and not stuck together in a lump after steaming.

Enjoy.

Kiam Hue Bihun is a dish i cook a few times a year. The hubby and I both love it. Provided I have ready fried salt fish of course, it is an easy 30 minutes cook and perfect for a quick lunch. I always add extra beansprouts as I love the extra crunch and texture then give.

The last time I fried my salt fish from Kuching, I saved some in a glass container infused with the oil and placed into my fridge for the time when I want to use it like today. They would happily sits in the fridge for a long time, months.

My very British hubby is a weird Mat Salleh who loves salt fish He always wears a happy face when he opens the front door and smell salt fish, udang kering (dried shrimps) and belacan.

Back in the days of my youth my mother said kiam hue (salt fish) was once known to be a poor man’s food. Same goes for beansprouts too but nowadays salt fish is not cheap. Their prices seems to go up and up each year! Nice salt fish in UK is definitely not cheap at all.

TIP – Please add in any other protein you like. Pork belly, chicken etc.

TIP – Do not attempt to overly season the noodles as the taste should come from the salt fish, the omelette and the sambal that is served with it.

TIP – The beansprouts gives it that extra crunchy texture and adding kangkong would be very good idea too. Just make sure you do not overcooked them. They must stay fresh.

TIP – Calamansi lime is is a must too to balance the dish.

Enjoy