Simple Yee Mee Soup
Here’s another variant of my Yee Mee Soup recipe. It’s very simple to make and takes less than 20 minutes. The perfect alternative to instant noodles; with additional benefits of it being quite healthy and fast to make!
A simple yee mee soup for 1 serving needs to follow a few rules for me. It needs to have some leafy greens, some sort of meat and rounded up with a poached egg. This recipe includes some extra condiments – chopped red chillies with light soy sauce, chopped spring onions and crispy fried garlic for an extra flavour boost. However, they are optional as the Yee Mee Soup itself is very flavourful on its own.
Ingredients
Dried Yee Mee, also known as egg noodles. These are actually pre-fried, and they are available in 5-10 bundles in a bag. Each bundle accounts for 1 serving – so the amount can be easily added if necessary. As they are quite dry, they must be hydrated beforehand (or cooked for a few minutes) before consuming.
Bean sprouts and bok choy, my choice of crunchy, sweet vegetable and a leafy green. They contribute to the sweetness of the soup while providing nutrients and fibre. While it’s not necessary to remove the roots of the bean sprouts, I did so to improve their appearance. Apart from bok choy, spinach, kailan, lettuce, and choy sum are alternatives that can be used.
Chicken stock, which is the main body of the soup. I made mine from scratch, though store-bought ones can be used as well. Do note that they tend to have high sodium (salt) content – so they can be diluted with some water if preferred. Otherwise, substitute chicken stock with 1 tbsp of oyster sauce and water works as well.
Oyster sauce and black sesame oil are the light seasonings of the soup. Oyster sauce adds a depth of umami flavour, while sesame oil gives off a lovely toasted fragrance to the soup. When using chicken stock, they can be omitted if preferred.
Flavoured tofu and fishballs are the “meat” in this recipe. They can be substituted with thinly sliced chicken or pork if preferred. The seafood tofu and crab balls (or crab cakes) can release their intense flavours into the soup – so they are only heated up in this recipe.
For an added saltiness and spice, serve with chopped red chilli and light soy sauce. If a slightly tangy, mildly sweet and spicy flavour is preferred, add some homemade pickled green chilli (recipe here!) in between each bite.
Lastly, when making noodle soup, I can never pass up the opportunity to include poached eggs. There’s something special about having noodles with a runny yolk. Top it with some spring onions, crispy garlic, or shallots and we have a winner.
Steps
Here’s the steps overview of making this Yee Mee Soup:
- Remove bean sprout roots (optional).
- Separate the bok choy’s stems from the leaves.
- Prepare the condiment.
- Soak yee mee in boiling water for 2-3 minutes before draining the water.
- Bring chicken stock, black sesame oil, oyster sauce and bok choy stem to a rolling boil.
- Add seafood tofu and crab balls to boil for 1.5 minutes.
- Add the bok choy leaves and bean sprouts.
- Poach an egg in the soup.
- Scoop the ingredients into the bowl of Yee mee.
- Carefully pour in all the soup.
- Top with crispy fried garlic and crispy Fu Chok.
- Serve with the condiment.
Tips
- The bean sprouts can be left with their roots intact to save time. Many Asian home cooks remove the roots to improve the appearance of the dish.
- Although dried yee mee can be cooked in the soup directly, it is more difficult to control its texture throughout the whole meal, as it can be al-dente at the start, but become too soft towards the end. Blanching and cooking it beforehand helps maintains its texture throughout the meal as the residual heat will not overcook the yee mee.
- Blanching the yee mee beforehand also makes it firmer and chewier.
- The bok choy stems are thicker than the leaves and tend to take a longer time to cook, so they are separated and added first into the soup.
- For a stronger garlicky flavour, raw garlic can be minced and added to the red chilli and soy sauce as well.
- Pickled green chilli adds a lovely sour tanginess and mild spiciness to each bite.
- Chicken stock can be substituted with 650ml of water and 1 tbsp of oyster sauce, and boiling the bok choy, seafood tofu and crab balls for 4-5 minutes.
- Make sure the soup achieves a rolling boil before adding the egg. The residual heat is sufficient for a poached egg with a runny yolk. For a solid yolk, let the soup continue boiling for another 30 seconds.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!
Storage Instructions
Once mixed, this Yee Mee Soup is best consumed immediately. If there are leftovers, the yee mee noodles and soup should be separated and stored in different containers in the fridge for not more than overnight.
This is because when noodles are left to soak, they tend to absorb the liquid. This affects the texture, turning yee mee mushy while reducing the amount of delicious soup.
They can be reheated together on the stove over medium heat until it comes to a boil, to be enjoyed immediately.
It’s not recommended to freeze Yee Mee Soup. Freezing causes ice crystals to form, and they interfere with the texture of the vegetables and yee mee. Both the bok choy and bean sprouts will turn limp and soft, while yee mee will lose its chewy and spongy texture.
Similar Recipes
If you have enjoyed this recipe, check out other variations of my Yee Mee Soup recipe:
- Quick & Easy Egg Noodle Soup Recipe in 15 Minutes
- One Pot Yee Mee Soup (4 servings)
- Yee Mee Soup with Crispy Anchovies and Poached Egg
- Simple Yee Mee Soup in 5 Minutes!
- Bitter Gourd Yee Mee Soup
Simple Yee Mee Soup
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Strainer
- Wooden Chopsticks
Ingredients
Blanching Noodles
- 1 serving dried yee mee
- 3 cups water
Soup
- 2.5 oz bean sprouts, cleaned and optionally, roots removed
- 1 stalk bok choy, medium-sized, washed
- 2.5 cup chicken stock
- 1/8 tsp black sesame oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 seafood tofu
- 4 crab ball
- 1 egg, medium
Garnishing & Condiments
- 2 stalks spring onion leaves, optional
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 red chilli
- 1/2 tbsp crispy garlic, optional
- 3 pieces fried fu chok, optional
Instructions
Preparing Vegetables
- Wash and optionally remove the bean sprouts' roots. Soak them in water and set aside.
- Cut the bok choy into stems and leaves. Cut the stem into quarters, and cut the leaves into half. Set aside.
- Chop the spring onions lightly. Cut the red chilli and add them to the light soy sauce. Set aside.
Blanching the Noodles
- Boil 750ml of water over medium heat. Place the yee mee in a heat-resistant bowl. Once a rolling boil is achieved, pour it over the fried yee mee and soak for 3 minutes. Strain the yee mee and set aside.
Making Yee Mee Soup
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add chicken stock, sesame oil, oyster sauce and bok choy stems. Give it a stir, cover and let it boil for 3 minutes, or until the stems are cooked.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the seafood tofu and crab balls. Cover and cook for another 1.5 minutes, or until the soup is boiling vigourously.
- Add all the bok choy leaves and bean sprouts. Give them a stir.
- Break the egg and add it to the soup. Switch off the heat for a runny poached egg, otherwise, cook for another 30 seconds for a fully-cooked egg.
- Scoop the fish balls, vegetables and egg onto the yee mee noodles. Carefully pour the soup over the yee mee noodles. Top with spring onions, crispy fried garlic and some fried fu chok.
- Serve with cut chilli and light soy sauce.
Video
Notes
- The bean sprouts can be left with their roots intact to save time. Many Asian home cooks remove the roots to improve the appearance of the dish as pure-white bean sprouts look more appetising without their roots.
- Although dried yee mee can be cooked in the soup directly, it is more difficult to control its texture throughout the whole meal, as it can be al-dente at the start, but become too soft towards the end. Blanching and cooking it beforehand helps maintains its texture throughout the meal as the residual heat will not overcook the yee mee.
- Blanching the yee mee beforehand also makes it firmer and chewier.
- The bok choy stems are thicker than the leaves and tend to take a longer time to cook, so they are separated and added first into the soup.
- For a stronger garlicky flavour, raw garlic can be minced and added to the red chilli and soy sauce as well.
- Pickled green chilli adds a lovely sour tanginess and mild spiciness to each bite.
- Chicken stock can be substituted with 650ml of water and 1 tbsp of oyster sauce, and boiling the bok choy, seafood tofu and crab balls for 4-5 minutes.
- Make sure the soup achieves a rolling boil before adding the egg. The residual heat is sufficient for a poached egg with a runny yolk. For a solid yolk, let the soup continue boiling for another 30 seconds.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!