bee tai bak in green tea

I made this some time back, when I didn't know what else to do with leftovers from laksa. I had gone overboard with the thick and rich coconut milk laden gravy and couldn't bear the thought of another bowl of it, so this light, brothy version was a godsend. It will warm you at the end of  the year when the rain is ceaseless and there's a nip in the air, or refresh you at midyear, when the sun pours in my balcony so fiercely, the paint on the walls starts peeling off like dandruff.

It’s a bit Chinese, a bit Japanese (like ochazuke) and a whole lot delicious. All you need apart from some leftovers (always lurking in my fridge) are green teabags, which are almost as common as regular (black) teabags are these days.

While incredibly easy to throw together and fantastic for days when you're not feeling your energetic best, hungover or just plain lazy, a real bonus is how delicious and healthy this is. Loaded with flavour, almost fat free, chock full of antioxidants (make sure you don't use boiling hot water to preserve those precious and delicate antioxidants), really, what more could you ask for?

Prep 10 mins  Cook 10 mins Serves 1


1 green tea bag
1 cup bee tai bak (short fresh rice noodles) or cooked rice or your favourite fresh noodles
8 cooked and peeled prawns (shrimps)
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp sliced spring onions (scallions) or as much as you like

Boil a kettle of water.

When water boils, turn off heat and let it cool down slightly for about 5 minutes then make a cup of tea with the tea bag. Soak for about 4 minutes, covered then discard bag. Cover tea to keep it hot.

Cover noodles with boiling water and soak for about 3 minutes before draining. Rinse prawns with hot water and drain.

Transfer noodles to a bowl. Combine the hot tea and soy sauce and pour over the noodles.

Top with spring onions and prawns and serve immediately.