Singapore is where I was born and grew up, where I believed there was only one way Hokkien Mee was made.
That is, until I was introduced to the Malaysian version, which I still call KL Hokkien Mee, and is more commonly found here at Malaysian restaurants in Auckland.
Auckland has plenty of Malaysian eateries but no Singaporean restaurants. It’s not surprising, therefore hunting down a restaurant that has Singapore Hokkien Mee on the menu is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Singapore Hokkien Mee is cooked with a combination of rice vermicelli, yellow noodles in a rich thick umami-rich stock simmered with prawn heads and pork bones.
To cook it, prawns, squid, pork slices and eggs are added to the wok before it is topped with crispy pork lard and served with spicy sambal chili and a lemon or lime wedge.
Malaysians often refer to the Singapore Hokkien Mee as Singapore fried prawn mee.
It is significantly different to the Malaysian Hokkien Mee which uses a thicker udon-like yellow noodle and is darkened with starchy dark sauce.
Hokkien Mee’s origins can be traced back to the Fujian province of China, and was introduced to Singapore and Malaysia by early immigrants.
Although the dish - both the Singapore and Malaysian versions - look simple, chefs will tell you it is far more complex than frying up a plate of char kway teow or fried bee hoon, hence the reluctance for many to have them on the menu.
A great Singapore Hokkien Mee is cooked with luscious prawn broth and comes with plenty of wok hei and smoky aroma.
In my quest to find the best in Auckland, I can say there are two that I can classify as truly good, one passable and the worst one I’ve had was at a Malaysian food court stall in Manukau.
THE BEST
TREASURE KITCHEN GREENLANE 530 Great South Road, Greenlane
I would rank Treasure Kitchen Greenlane’s Singapore Hokkien Mee as the best in town, with its rich and smoky wok hei and juicy, plump king prawns and served in a rich flavourful gravy. Helmed by Chef Sam Ng, who used to work in Johor Bahru just across the causeway from Singapore, he knows his stuff when it comes to cooking this version of Hokkien mee.
LIMA BINTANG 6 Station Road, Ōtāhuhu
A close second would be Lima Bintang in Otahuhu. Owner and Head Chef Ah Fook used to work at Treasure Kitchen and would have properly learned the recipe and art of cooking Singapore Hokkien Mee from Chef Sam Ng. The dish here is almost a mirror image both visually and in taste to Treasure Kitchen’s one, although the sambal is a wee bit more spicy.
NOT-QUITE-THERE
BLOSSOM COURT 135 Queens Road, Panmure
Blossom Court has this dish on the menu as Fried Prawn Noodle Singapore-style. In terms of it being flavourful, yes definitely passable. But if you’re a traditionalist or expecting Singapore Hokkien Mee, you’d be disappointed.
KL CAFE 7/4055 Great North Road, Glen Eden
This dish is called Singapore Fried Har Mee on the KL Cafe menu. It is not the classic Singapore Hokkien Mee you’d get, but fried yellow noodles with prawns. Again, a tasty noodle dish, but it’s not Singapore Hokkien Mee.
THE WORST
TASTES OF MALAYSIA (inside Food Junction) 615 Great South Road, Manukau City Centre
They call their version Singapore Fried Prawn Wet Noodle. Nothing Singapore Hokkien Mee about it at all - in looks and in taste. It’s just a chaos of ingredients on drenched noodles. I struggled to find any hint of what’s meant to be noodles cooked in robust prawn stock.
Lincoln Tan is a co-founder of Chow Luck Club and a former senior journalist with The New Zealand Herald
