What is better than a bowl of spicy and scrumptious shrimp noodles in Malaysia? There’s just so much to choose from such as Wan Tan Mee, Char Kuey Teow, Popiah and other famous local foods. But in this article, we’re highlighting the dish of Hokkien Mee that is to die for.
What Is Hokkien Mee?
Hokkien Mee is Malaysia’s local street food which consists of yellow noodles and thin noodles, also known as Mee Suah. It is cooked for long hours in shrimp broth.
In this bowl of shrimp broth noodles, it is filled with different kinds of ingredients such as small shrimps, pork slices, bean sprouts, eggs, chilli paste and vegetables.
This dish is generally spicy and savoury. For people who love an extra kick in their meals, you may add another spoonful of chilli paste to enhance the spicy flavour in your bowl of Hokkien Mee.
The Origins Of Hokkien Mee
Hokkien Mee is a Chinese noodle dish which is extremely popular in Malaysia and Singapore. Although the true origin is yet unknown and highly debated, it is believed that Hokkien Mee originated from a province in China called Fujian, hence the name Hokkien Mee.
Different Types Of Hokkien Men
Hokkien Mee dish varies according to the states in Malaysia, in this sense, it means that different states have their own version of Hokkien Mee, just like Laksa.
In Penang, Hokkien Mee is as explained above, the shrimp prawn broth noodles with spicy chilli paste. However, in the capital city – Kuala Lumpur, Hokkien Mee is a dry type of thick noodles covered in black dark soy sauce, eaten together with pork, big prawns, fried garlic and some vegetables.
The Penang version of Hokkien Mee in Kuala Lumpur is known as Har Mee; whereas the KL Hokkien Mee is known as Tai Lok Mee in Penang.
Singapore’s version of Hokkien Mee is slightly similar to KL style. In Singapore, they do not use any soy sauce. Instead, Singapore Hokkien Mee is cooked in clear, thick starchy sauce with seafood.
Where To Find Hokkien Mee In Penang?
Since it is common street food in Penang, you may find Hokkien Mee in any coffee shops (kopitiam) or hawker centres. Here are some suggestions:
- Bee Hwa Cafe
- 888 Hokkien Mee, Presgrave Street
- Gurney Drive Hawker Centre
- Super Hokkien Mee
Where To Find Hokkien Mee In Kuala Lumpur?
There are many famous and well-known stalls for this thick soy sauce Hokkien Mee, for instance:
- Mun Wah Hokkien Mee
- Ming Hoe
- Ah Mang Mee
- Ask Yuen
If you want to try to make this on your own, you can do it when you have some time as it’s quite time-consuming to boil the shrimp broth for hours.
Nonetheless, it will be satisfying to perfect this bowl of Hokkien Mee on your own! Just remember to add other dishes to pair with it such as prawns, pork belly, chilli paste and other dishes that you may want to add.
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