Comfort food with traditional flavours that leaves you coming back for more.
Mee Hoon Kueh or Ban Mian (some call it "Pan Mee") is no stranger to the hawker food scenes in Singapore and Malaysia. In fact, it can be said that many Singaporeans and Malaysians grew up eating this simple, inexpensive, yet nutritious Hakka fare, which was also commonly prepared at home in the olden days.
Traditionally, the Mee Hoon Kueh was made from tearing morsels of kneaded dough (now thin strands of noodles are an option too) and cooking them in a flavourful stock made with ikan bilis (dried anchovies) filled with minced pork, Cekur Manis, as well as an egg, topped with some deep-fried ikan bilis.
When fully cooked, Cekur Manis is a highly nutritious leafy vegetable that's packed with protein, lutein, antioxidants, as well as Vitamins C and E.
That, coupled with the other ingredients in this soup noodle dish, easily makes it a "healthier" choice of meal for those who are calorie-conscious. And that's probably why it's common to see figure-conscious ladies make a beeline for this dish at any hawker centre, coffee shop, or food court, during meal times.
The advent of spicy mee hoon kueh
And there is also the spicy version of Mee Hoon Kueh, which started to gain popularity in Singapore in the last decade or so. Commonly known as the Kuala Lumpur Chilli Pan Mee, this style of Mee Hoon Kueh was invented in the Chow Kit area of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and is particularly popular in Klang Valley.
As with any delicious Malaysian food that's built a respectable fanfare around it, this "dry" version of Mee Hoon Kueh also made its way down from Peninsula Malaysia to our little island-state, and it turned out to be a runaway success.
The key differences between the spicy and soup versions of Mee Hoon Kueh lie in the use of a special stir-fried chilli paste, minced braised pork (instead of blanched minced pork), as well as a poached egg (instead of an egg stirred into the soup).
Making it all from scratch
The chilli Mee Hoon Kueh at Penang Heng Heng Handmade Noodles is a quintessential example of this popularised dish.
Made from scratch, the stall owner spares no effort in ensuring that the texture of the cooked noodles is nothing less than perfect.
He starts by making the dough from wheat flour, eggs, water, and salt — and boy, I can see that the kneading is really hard work, even as I'm only watching by the side. Then he rolls the dough off the pasta machines to make sure that every stretch of the noodles is of a consistent thickness, before tearing morsels of it and chucking them into the boiling stock to cook.
On each order, each bowl of Mee Hoon Kueh is torn from fresh dough that's made several times across the day. The stall owner's efforts has truly paid off, as the texture of his hand-torn noodles is amazingly springy and they taste really fresh. If you ask me, nothing tastes better than handmade, when it comes to noodles.
Above: Making the Mee Hoon Kueh from scratch — from flour, to dough, then noodles
Apart from the noodles, the delicious fresh chilli paste that goes so well with the Mee Hoon Kueh is also made daily from raw ingredients by the man himself using a special recipe. Likewise, the very well-seasoned minced braised pork and deep-fried ikan bilis are also prepared on a daily basis at the stall.
As comfy as comfort food gets
Piercing into the yolk of the poached egg was a moment of joy for me. As I mixed the liquid egg with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and devour all of it, I'm just thinking to myself that this is probably the best comfort food to enjoy in a lazy morning.
Even though I can't say that this is healthful food compared to the soup version, it is definitely food that tastes home-cooked with love and makes me happy.
Above: Handmade Mee Hoon Kueh with special recipe chilli paste
Finally, no Mee Hoon Kueh dish will be complete without that classic soup that contains Cekur Manis leaves, and this one even comes with deep-fried Tau Kee (beancurd sticks). To me, this is a great way to finish the meal, as it washes down all those greasy bits from the palate.
Above: Traditional Mee Hoon Kueh soup with Cekur Manis
Tucked away in a secluded coffee shop on Sims Avenue, this is an authentic Kuala Lumpur-style chilli Mee Hoon Kueh that's not to be missed, even though the business name, which sports the word "Penang", suggests otherwise.
The dedicated efforts that go into making the handmade noodles and the other ingredients deserve not just a pat on the back, but more importantly, the appreciation of those who know what high-quality food is all about.
Locate it
Address:
Penang Heng Heng Handmade Noodles
205 Sims Ave, Singapore 387506
Operating Hours:
Opens daily (except Wednesdays)
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays, 10 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.;
Saturdays, 12 noon - 8:30 p.m.
Call:
9132 2117
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