Penang Hokkien Mee

Seed and soak the dried red chilies in hot water until softened, then drain.

In a mini food processor, blend the softened chilies, shallots, garlic, and 2 tablespoons water until finely ground and well blended — this is your chili paste.

Heat a wok over medium-high heat and add cooking oil.

Stir-fry the chili paste for about 5 minutes until fragrant, then remove from the heat and set aside — you'll use half for the stock and reserve the rest for serving.

In the same unwashed wok, add a little more cooking oil and heat over medium heat.

Add the shrimp (for the topping) along with a small spoonful of the reserved chili paste, a pinch of rock sugar, and salt; pan-fry until slightly browned.

Remove the shrimp from the heat, let cool, then slice each one in half lengthwise for topping.

Add 15 cups of water to a large stockpot and bring to a boil.

Add all the shrimp heads and shells to the boiling water (traditionally these are first stir-fried in a little oil until aromatic for deeper flavor — an optional extra step).

Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours or longer, until the stock turns cloudy and intensely prawn-flavored, reducing to about 12-13 cups.

Strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot, discarding the shrimp heads and shells.

Skim off and discard any orange foam that rises to the surface of the stock.

Bring the strained stock back to a boil and stir in half of the reserved chili paste (add more later for a spicier soup).

Add the pork ribs to the stock.

Simmer over low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours, until the pork ribs are thoroughly cooked.

Season the stock with rock sugar and salt to taste.

Scald the yellow noodles, rice vermicelli, kangkong, and bean sprouts separately in boiling water until just tender.

To assemble, place a portion of yellow noodles, rice vermicelli, kangkong, and bean sprouts into a serving bowl.

Ladle the hot prawn stock over the noodles and vegetables; add a few pieces of pork ribs if desired.

Top with sliced boiled pork, the halved pan-fried shrimp, and hard-boiled egg quarters.

Sprinkle with fried shallot crisps and serve immediately, adding more chili paste to taste if desired.