- 6 ounces mee (see above)
- Vegetable oil for deep frying, about 2 cups
- ½ cup very finely chopped, peeled shallots
- 1 tablespoon peeled and minced garlic
- 1 to 2 fresh hot green chilies, minced
- 1 cake pressed bean curd, cut into julienne strips
- 5 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Peel from ½ lemon, cut into very thin, l-inch-long strips
- ¼ cup fresh Chinese (or other) chives, cut into ½-inch lengths
- ¼ cup fresh Chinese parsley leaves
- 1 cup fresh mung-bean sprouts, washed, drained, and patted dry
- Garnish: additional parsley sprigs
- Soak the mee in hot, not boiling, water for a minute or until they soften. Drain immediately.
- Line two large platters with paper towels and keep nearby.
- Heat the oil in a wok over a high flame. When very hot, throw in a small handful of mee. Fry for about 30 to 40 seconds, then turn over what will look like a thin pancake of vermicelli. Fry for 30 to 40 seconds on the second side. The mee should turn a lovely reddish-golden color and be quite crisp. Remove it with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on the paper towels. Fry all the mee this way.
- Take the wok off the flame and remove all but ¼ cup of the oil. Heat this over a medium flame.
- Put in the shallots, garlic, and green chili. Stir and fry until the shallots are lightly browned. Put in the bean curd and stir for a minute.
- Now break all the eggs into the wok. Stir for a minute, breaking up the yolks. Add the salt, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, cayenne, and lots of black pepper. Stir and fry until the eggs have solidified completely.
- Turn the heat to medium-low. Continue stirring and frying another 15 to 20 minutes or until the mixture is completely dry, lowering heat if necessary.
- Just before you are ready to eat, toss the mee with the egg mixture, the lemon peel, chives, and Chinese parsley leaves.
- Arrange on a platter. Scatter the bean sprouts over the top and garnish with the additional parsley sprigs.