Step 1

Soak the rice noodles for 10 minutes in cool water, then let it drip dry in a colander as you work on the other steps.

Step 2

Season the stock with the rock sugar, salt, fish sauce, ginger and chicken bouillon powder on a low simmer. Add the spare ribs in and keep it at a low simmer as you work on the other steps. The ribs will need 15-20 minutes to cook.Pro Tip: Skim off any floating oil and scum to keep the broth clear.

Step 3

Cut the pork fat into 1cm cubes and put them in a pan. Turn the heat to medium and let them fry for 10 minutes or until golden brown. If you find that they're spitting too rapidly, turn the heat down to low.

Step 4

When golden and reduced in size, scoop just the fried cubes into a bowl or serving dish. Discard the remaining oil or keep it in a container to use as lard for future recipes.

Step 5

After 15-20 minutes of cooking, take the spare ribs out and cut them into chunks. How large or small you cut them will depend on where the bones are. Leave them in a serving dish for later.

Step 6

Finely chop the garlic and combine it in a bowl with the sugar, salt and vinegar. Set aside to use as a topping.

Step 7

Combine the fried powder mix in a bowl with the water.

Step 8

Use your hands to gently squeeze out the bubbles and trapped flour. Keep mixing until the batter is smooth enough to drip off chopsticks slowly but easily. Let it rest as you prep the prawns.

Step 9

Use scissors to cut off the tail and head of the school prawns. Keep them in a bowl close to the frying area.

Step 10

Pour enough oil into a pot to cover each shrimp chip when submerged completely. Turn the heat up to high. When the oil has reached a high temperature, put the empty ladles in to heat up until hot. This will stop the batter from sticking to the metal.Note: If you're using a saucepan instead, simply pour 3 tbsp oil to coat the surface of the saucepan.

Step 11

When the pot's oil is hot, pour 1 tbsp of the batter into the ladle and rotate it until it covers the surface. Add 2-3 prawns on top, then submerge it into the oil. After 20 seconds, give the ladle a shake until the chip floats off.Note: If the shrimp chip doesn't come off, use chopsticks or a spoon to scoop it out. This generally happens when the empty ladle isn't hot enough to start with.

Step 12

When golden, take the chip out and place it on a tray lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Repeat the cooking for all the batter and prawns.

Step 13

Divide the choy sum into 10cm (4") segments. Optional: You can use a small knife to peel back the tough outer layer on the stems.

Step 14

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the choy sum in to cook for 5 minutes or until al dente. Pour the contents into a colander to drip dry.

Step 15

Fill up a pot with water and bring it to a boil. When boiled, use a spoon to scoop 2-3 tbsp of the mince into a sieve. Dip the sieve into the boiling water and stir the pork using the spoon for 3 minutes or until just cooked.

Step 16

Lift the sieve up to release all the liquid, then transfer the cooked meat into a bowl. Repeat until all the mince is cooked.You can discard the mince water or keep it for future stocks. We like to add it back into the simmering soup.

Step 17

Optional: To remove the impurities, layer a few paper towels on top of each other and hold them above a large empty bowl. Pour one ladle of the broth through the paper towels. You'll find the impurities stay on the paper while the liquid runs into the bowl.Pro Tip: When removing the scum, it helps to have another set of hands to do the ladling while another holds the paper.

Step 18

To serve, bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook separate servings of the mei fun and Hokkien noodles together for 20 seconds until al dente.Note: If you're cooking all the noodles at once, cook each type separately as they will both have different cooking times.

Step 19

Assemble your bowl with the noodles, pork toppings and a few ladles of hot soup. Garnish with the herbs, choy sum, fried fat cubes and garlic sauce.

Step 20

Enjoy hot as is!