Method

1. Cook whole fresh prawns in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain, peel, slice in half and set aside for topping.
2. Blend onion, garlic, dried shrimps and candlenuts.
3. Add oil to pot and sauté the blended ingredients till fragrant for 10 minutes.
4. Add salted bean paste and fry for 3 minutes.
5. Add ground peanuts, 1.5 litres water and assam water and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Soak the red rice vermicelli in a bowl of hot water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
7. Fry the red rice vermicelli with a tablespoon each of oil and sambal tumis. Set aside.
8. Add sambal, sugar and coconut cream once the gravy is done simmering. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

To assemble:
Add the red rice vermicelli to a bowl. Pour over a scoop of gravy, then pour it out and in again — traditionally, this is done three times. Try slicing eggs in half the traditional way with a fishing line too! Top mee siam with the egg, Chinese chives and prawns.

To make this dish more suitable for diabetics, you can reduce the amount of sugar or use a mix of Stevia and sugar which is available at your nearest FairPrice store. The flavour will be slightly different.