Hokkien mee

"Hokkien mee" refers to fried noodles cooked in Hokkien (Fujian) style. "Hokkien mee" is served in many Southeast Asian countries (mostly Malaysia and Singapore) and was brought there by immigrants from Fujian Province in southeastern China.

Types of Hokkien mee

There are two types of "Hokkien mee": "Hokkien hae mee" and "Hokkien char mee". Hokkien hae mee (Hokkien prawn noodles) is commonly served in Penang and Singapore while Hokkien char mee (Hokkien fried noodles) is commonly served in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. The dish commonly referred to as "Hokkien mee", depending on the locality, can mean either Hokkien hae mee or Hokkien char mee. For example, "Hokkien mee" in Kuala Lumpur refers to "Hokkien char mee".

Strictly speaking, the Penang and Singapore versions of "Hokkien mee" are two different dishes, except that they are both prawn noodle dishes and share the name "Hokkien." The ingredients and methods of cooking are different, and the Penang version is cooked in soup while the Singapore version is stir fried. In this respect, the dish "Hokkien mee" can refer to no fewer than "three" different distinct dishes: Penang "Hokkien mee", Singapore "Hokkien mee", and Kuala Lumpur "Hokkien mee". Penang "Hokkien mee" is sometimes referred to in Kuala Lumpur as "mee yoke", since in Kuala Lumpur, "Hokkien mee" means Hokkien "char mee" by default.

"Hokkien hae mee" (Hokkien Prawn Noodles)

"Hokkien hae mee" (Hokkien/Fujian prawn noodles; 福建虾麺) is served in Penang (with a variant served in Singapore known as Hae mee). It is a dish of egg noodles and rice noodles in a fragrant stock, which is made from both fresh shrimp and dried prawns, as well as pork or chicken. Traditionally, small cubes of fried pork fat are added to the soup, but this is now less common due to health concerns. It is garnished with prawns, fish cake, leafy greens, pork ribs, squid, vegetables, crisp deep-fried shallots, spring onions and fresh lime. The dish is served with sliced red chili, light soy sauce and sambal.

In Singapore, Hokkien mee refers to a variant of the Penang version of "Hokkien hae mee". The dish uses the same egg noodles and rice noodles used in Hokkien hae mee, but is stir fried in lard and served dry. The main ingredients are shrimps and small pieces of sliced pork. It is usually served with lime and sambal chilli.

Hokkien Char Mee (Hokkien Fried Noodles)

"Hokkien char mee" (Hokkien/Fujian fried noodles; 福建炒麺) is served in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding region. It is a dish of thick yellow noodles braised in thick dark soy sauce with pork, squid, fish cake and cabbage as the main ingredients and cubes of pork fat fried until crispy.

External links

Articles

* [http://www.makansutra.com/reviews/010206/index.html Makansutra.com - Singapore Hokkien Mee]
* [http://www.waisikkai.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=59&Itemid=48 Waisikkai.com - KL Chinatown Hokkien Mee]
* [http://www.waisikkai.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=137&Itemid=0 Waisikkai.com - Best Hokkien Mee in Petaling Jaya]
* [http://www.hot-screensaver.com/2007/04/05/have-you-seen-the-real-prawn-mee-before/ Hokkien Mee in Sibu, Sarawak]

Recipes

* [http://kuali.com/recipes/viewrecipe.asp?r=430 Hokkien Hae Mee (Penang prawn noodle) recipe from the Star newspaper]
* [http://kuali.com/recipes/viewrecipe.asp?r=1304 Hokkien Char Mee recipe from the Star newspaper]