Singapore Hokkien mee and Kuala Lumpur Hokkien mee have the same name and the same roots, but they are as different as black and white. And, both Hokkien mee cannot be found in Fujian, China. How come?
Image credit: National Archives Singapore |
Image credit: Wikipedia |
At first, Wong Kian Lee sold a common pale looking soupy stir fried noodle dish from his Fujian hometown, Anxi ๅฎๆบช. When more people sold fried noodles and competition got stiffer, Wong developed his own style of noodles.
Seven Best KL Hokkien Mee |
In 1927, he moved to Chinatown (Petaling Street) and founded Kim Lian Kee.
Kim Lian Kee Petaling Street |
Sea Park Ah Wah Hokkien Mee |
KL Hokkien Mee |
Geylang Lor 29 Swee Guan Hokkien Mee |
In Singapore, Hokkien mee have the same roots but evolved differently.
Instead of going black, it went white.
Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
From Leslie Tay's interview with Ng Hock Wah, his father Ng Seng came to Singapore from Xiamen in the 1940s. Ng Seng was a coolie at an iron workshop and at night he would fry noodles as a pastime, throwing in whatever ingredients he could get. Mostly scraps of pork, sometimes squid and prawns. When his concoction became popular, he quit his coolie job and started a hawker stall below The 7th Storey Hotel in the 1950s.
Toa Payoh Come Daily Hokkien Mee |
The stall owner Ng Seng, creator of Singapore fried Hokkien mee was already an old man in the 1950s. It was known then as "Rochor mee". The noodles were stir fried and stewed in rich stock over charcoal fire until it was nearly all dried up and all its flavours infused in the wet noodles. The stock was made with pork bones and prawn shells. There's squid, prawns, pork belly, and lard cracklings in the noodles.
Hokkien mee was served in opeh leaf (betel nut leaf sheath) which imparted additional flavour and aroma to the hot noodles.
Tiong Bahru ABC Market Hokkien Mee |
Jean and Dawn Yip's account was corroborated by Vincent Gabriel's description of 1960s Bugis Street. Gabriel said that the hawkers got discarded bits of pork from the Bugis Market and used these to make pork lard and also blanched pork which they used liberally in Rochor mee. Hearing this alone makes me salivate ๐ Like that win already lor ๐
Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
Today, both ebony (KL black Hokkien mee) and ivory (Singapore Hokkien mee) are popular and ubiquitous in Malaysia and Singapore respectively. I love both black and white, and have them whenever I have the opportunity.
In the 1960s, there was already a dish called Hokkien mee - it referred to what we know today as "prawn mee". Today, when you go to Penang and ask for Hokkien mee, you will be served "prawn mee".
Any insights to share?
Please share with us your memories of KL Hokkien mee and Rochor mee.
Date: 18 May 2020
where to get the ebony black hokkien mee here in singapore please?
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