Make Hae Bee Hiam

Hae bee hiam is a spicy condiment made with dried shrimp that's popular in Singapore and Malaysia. It's often serve on top of rice or porridge, but you can also use it like any other condiment and add it to sandwiches and other dishes that need a little spice. While the dish takes some time to make, it's not that difficult to prepare -- you just have to be patient enough to stir fry the ingredients for an hour.

Ingredients

• 3 cups (250 g) dried shrimp
• 8 fresh red chillies
• 5 large shallots
• 6 stalks lemongrass, white parts only
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 candlenuts
• ¾ ounce (20 g) belacan
• ½ cup (125 ml) cooking oil
• 12 to 14 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar

Steps

Cleaning and Grinding the Shrimp

1. Rinse the dried shrimp. For the hae bee biam, you’ll need 3 cups (250 g) of dried shrimp. Ready the shrimp by running them under cold water at the sink. Rub them between your hands to ensure that they’re well rinsed.
   • You can find dried shrimp at Asian markets and online retailers.
2. Drain the dried shrimp. After you’ve rinsed the shrimp, dump it into a colander. Shake it well to drain all the excess water from the shrimp.
   • It’s a good idea to let the shrimp sit in the colander for a moment to allow some of the excess water to drip out. You can then shake the colander to get rid of the remaining moisture.
3. Grind the dried shrimp. Once the shrimp are drained, add them to a food processor. Pulse the shrimp until they reach as fine or as coarse a texture as you prefer, and set them aside for the moment.
   • If you have a small food processor, you may want to grind the shrimp in two batches.
   • The shrimp in hae bee hiam traditionally has a fairly coarse texture, but you can customize the texture to suit your preferences.

Making the Spice Paste

1. Cut the chilies and remove the seeds. For the spice paste, you’ll need 8 fresh red chillies. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the chillies in half lengthwise. Next, use a spoon or knife to scrape out the seeds inside and discard. Set the chillies aside for the moment.
   • Avoid touching the interior or seeds of the chillies with your hands. If you touch your fingers to your eyes afterward, it can cause severe burning.
2. Peel and chop the shallots. Carefully remove the papery outer skin from 5 large shallots. Next, use a sharp knife to roughly chop the shallots into chunks.
   • Because the shallots will be processed with the rest of the spice paste ingredients, there’s no need to finely chop or dice them.
3. Slice the lemongrass into rounds. The spice paste requires 6 lemongrass stalks. Use a knife to cut away the root ends, and then peel away the first layer of the stalks with your fingers. Next, cut the stalks crosswise into thin rounds.
   • You can usually find lemongrass at Asian markets and natural grocery stores.
4. Blend the chilies, shallots, lemongrass, garlic, candlenuts, and belcan into a paste. Add the chillies, shallots, lemongrass rounds, 4 cloves of garlic, 3 candlenuts, and ¾ ounce (20 g) of belacan to a food processor. Pulse the mixture until it forms a fine paste, and then transfer it to a separate bowl.
   • Candlenuts are similar in appearance and texture to macadamia nuts. You can often find them at Asian markets, spice markets, and online retailers.
   • Belacan is a shrimp paste that comes in block form and is often used in Southeast Asian cooking. You can usually find it Asian markets and online retailers.

Stir Frying the Hae Bee Hiam

1. Heat the oil in a wok. Add ½ cup (125 ml) of cooking oil to a large wok. Place the wok on the stove, and allow the oil to heat on medium until smoke begins to rise from it, which should take approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
   • Peanut, canola, corn, soybean, coconut, or olive oil work well for stir frying the dish.
2. Cook the spice paste for a half hour. Once the oil begins to smoke, add the spice paste to the wok. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir the paste well. Allow it to cook for 30 minutes, or until the oil separates from the paste. Be sure to stir it constantly.
   • It’s important to keep the paste moving as you stir fry it or it won’t cook evenly.
3. Tear the lime leaves. For the hae bee hiam, you’ll need 12 to 14 kaffir lime leaves. Use clean hands to carefully tear the leaves from the edge to the stem.
   • Adding the lime leaves is optional.
4. Mix the lime leaves and ground shrimp into the paste. After you’ve torn the kaffir lime leaves, add them and the ground shrimp to the wok with the spice paste. Mix well so all of the ingredients are fully combined.
5. Stir fry the mixture for 30 minutes. Once all of the ingredients are well mixed, allow the mixture to cook on medium low for another half hour. Just as before, make sure to keep the ingredients moving the entire time.

Finishing the Hae Bee Hiam

1. Remove the lime leaves and add the sugar. When the mixture is finished cooking, fish the kaffir lime leaves out of the wok with a fork and discard. Next, add 2 tablespoons (25 g) of sugar and stir it in so it’s fully incorporated.
   • If you prefer, you can finely chop the kaffir lime leaves before adding them to the mixture and leave them in the hae bee hiam.
2. Stir fry the mixture for several more minutes. Once the sugar is fully mixed into the hae bee hiam, let it cook for another 10 minutes. Stir the mixture the entire time so it cooks evenly.
   • The mixture should have a dry, crumbly texture when it’s finished stir frying.
3. Allow the mixture to cool. When the hae bee hiam is finished cooking, transfer it from the wok to a large bowl. Let the mixture sit for 15 to 20 minutes so it cools completely.
4. Transfer the mixture to an airtight jar and refrigerate it until you’re ready to use. After the hae bee hiam has cooled, use a spoon to add it to an airtight jar. Store the hae bee hiam in the refrigerator, and use it with 2 weeks.
   • You can serve hae bee hiam with steamed rice or plain porridge. You can also spread it on toast or a sandwich for extra flavor.

Tips

• If you want to make a larger batch of hae bee hiam, you can freeze any leftover. Place it in an airtight, freezer-safe container, and you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 months.
• You can also mix hae bee hiam into stir fry dishes for added flavor.

Things You’ll Need

• Colander
• Food processor
• Kitchen shears
• Knife
• Spoon
• 2 large bowls
• Wok
• Wooden spoon
• Airtight jar

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Grilled Beef and Enoki Mushroom Roll
• Make Crispy Seaweed Bok Choy
• Make Asian Salmon Noodles
• Make Keng Bouad Mak Fak Kham (Coconut Pumpkin Soup)
• Make Bananas in Coconut Milk
• Cook Hijiki Seaweed
• Make Soy Sauce
• Make an Avocado Dessert
• Fold a Spring Roll
• Cook Myanmar Mohinga

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