Hokkien Mee is a local noodle and shrimp dish in Singapore that has always puzzled me. It smells great when the hawker stir fries this concoction in a hot wok with lots of garlic. And that wonderful aroma always leads me to think that I'm going to get a salty/greasy plate of lightly scorched noodles. But instead it comes out drenched in a thick (but clear) goo, covering up that garlicky grease that attracted me to it to begin with. I could never quite figure out why this was necessary, and wished that they made a "dry" option instead.
My opinion of this dish has changed for the better though. Stall number 147 at Whampoa Hawker Center (the temporary one, anyway) still served it covered in that slimy goo today, but that very same sauce was so full of warmth and richness that it really enhanced the dish. No, I couldn't taste the salty garlic grease that I had been seeking, but it didn't matter. I just had the wrong expectations going in; I was thinking of the consistency of something like mee goreng, but instead I should have expected something more like a rich Italian cream sauce.
4 comments:
try the hokkien mee along East Coast Road, its in the coffee shop on the same row as Al Forno and Margarita's. Its called Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee and you can't miss it cos of the aromatic garlic waft snaking from the stall, and if you have a blocked nose that day, just look out for the opeh leaf packet hanging from the ceiling as part of the signage. The guy fries his hokkien mee over a charcoal stove and is hailed as the hokkien mee master.
It's gooey because much stock is added during the frying process.
Try this stall at Blk 844 Tampines Street 82. Besides the normal deal, it serves a spicy version whereby sambal chilli and fried ikan billies (anchovies) are added in as well.
The chilli paste w/anchovies are quite popular that they are sold on their own in small container as well
The coffee shop at geylang lor 29 is great, go to this original stall. With the delicious neighbour who sell satay & otak, another who sell braised duck rice. (close early as their business is so good)
This dish is either call hokkien mee, or some just call it Fried Prawn Noodle. The fragrant is becos the cook got to fry the garlic 1st, then put in noodle & thick vermicelli, then the main thing to put in to make all the good flavor - prawn stock, which cooks the noodle & the rest thorougly.
The soup seeps into the noodle, prawns etc, thus making it so delicious. But i feel its nicer with the lime & sambal chilly. Thus it is gooey one though some hawker stall do serve dryer ones.
Even Char Kuey Tiao got dry & wet one, the wet one at parkway hawker is goooood!
At this point of time in my life.. i donch care if they come gooey or not.. hhahaha!! just as long as i get to taste it again. ;)
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