A Slightly "Different" Taste of Home.

As most of you may or may not know, I come from a small island in Malaysia called Penang. This island that I am proud to call home could be referred to as the foodie's paradise. People travel from all over Malaysia, and even Singapore to come to Penang to eat. In Penang, there is NO limit for how much you can eat.

Since I am so far away from home, I have concocted this dish, with a twist to reflect only a small part of the original dish called Penang Prawn Mee. (Mee = Noodles) I call it "Shrimp Soup with Udon Noodles"

Ingredients:
1. Raw Shrimp (Tiger Shrimp, Normal Shrimp) or Lobster (for those who have the $)
2. Udon Noodles (preferably fresh udon, but packaged Udon is also ok)
3. Dried Japanese Seaweed Flavored with Sesame Seed

Preparation:
Soup Base:
1. Peel and de-vein raw shrimp (DO NOT throw away heads and shells)
2. Slow boil shells and heads for a relatively long time until essence of shrimp from shells and head has infused with water
3. Add anchovy stock powder to taste
4. Add chili powder for added spice if desired
**If using lobster, use lobster head as the ingredient for the soup base (DO NOT peel shell off lobster, only peel off head)
***Usually the soup is quite ready when the color of the soup base is a light orange (color from the shrimp heads and shells)

Shrimp Garnish:
1. Halve the peeled and de-veined shrimp
2. Boil the shrimp until cooked (do not overcook shrimp to preserve tenderness; do not under cook as well to prevent illness)

Udon:
1. Boil udon noodles in boiling water (do not boil in cool water for better consistency)
2. When udon noodles are cooked, rinse in cold tap water to prevent noodles from sticking to each other

Serving:
1. Put udon noodles in a bowl and top off with the boiled shrimp
2. Pour a generous amount of shrimp soup onto udon noodles
3. garnish the soup with dried Japanese seaweed flavored with sesame seed for color

PS: This is a reminder, that this recipe is NOT Penang Prawn Mee. This is one of my fusion dishes, designed to remind me of a little taste of home, while utilizing different ingredients from the original. Living abroad from Malaysia, it is difficult to find all the original ingredients, therefore, sometimes, it is wise to compromise and do your best with what's offered. I hope this recipe is tasteful and gives you a very slight taste of what Penang is like; seafood-y and savory with a slight touch of fusion!