I eat a lot of fresh shrimp so it's rare that I don't have shrimp stock in my freezer. After peeling the shrimp, store the shells and heads in an airtight container in the freezer. When you have a sufficient amount, put them in a pot, add enough water to cover, bring to the boil then lower the heat and cook at a low simmer for an hour. Strain the ingredients through a colander placed over a bowl. Cool the stock and cool to room temperature, then put it into containers and freeze.
If you don't have any shrimp stock in your freezer, substitute instant dashi stock, made with dashi bags (they look like tea bags, and can be found at shops selling Japanese products). Soak two dashi bags in 600ml hot water, then remove the bags and use the liquid.
I know you can get this dish at any number of Hong Kong-style noodle shops, but I also like to eat it in the comfort of my own home. It's easy enough to make because you can buy the fish balls, seafood balls and fish paste (usually made of carp) from Chinese grocery shops. I also like to add fresh shrimp to the noodles - just remember, after peeling them, to freeze the heads and shells for your next batch of stock.
After boiling the shrimp roe noodles, the cooking water will have a lot of flavour. Instead of pouring it down the drain, add the liquid to the shrimp stock. You should also boil all the fishballs, seafood balls and the fresh shrimp in the stock, so by the time you ladle the broth over the noodles, it is so flavourful you might not need to add any salt.
