Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee

Stir-fried noodles of Hokkien origin is stir-fried with eggs, shrimp, squid, slices or pork belly and braised in umami-rich prawn stock and garnished with chives and served with spicy sambal.

Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee

HOKKIEN PRAWN MEE

In case you ever wonder what Hokkien is, it is basically one of the Chinese ethnic groups that originated from the Fujian province in China. Singapore fried Hokkien mee is made by stir-frying two different types of noodles with eggs and slices of pork belly and then braised in prawn stock and then topped with shrimp, squid, bean sprouts, chives, and sometimes crispy pork cubes and served with spicy sambal and squeeze of kalamansi for that extra zing. The flavor is simply bombastic if you ask me!

WHICH NOODLES TO USE FOR SINGAPORE FRIED HOKKIEN MEE

Singapore fried Hokkien mee usually features two different type of noodles.
1. Hokkien noodles/yellow noodles
Hokkien noodles are made of wheat and usually yellow in color (and that’s why it’s called yellow noodles sometimes), they are round and thick.
Substitute for Hokkien noodles: I use fresh lo mein noodles. You can use cooked spaghetti noodles too
2. Thick bee hoon /rice noodles
This is basically rice vermicelli noodles, but the thicker version. I use what the Vietnamese call bun bo hue noodles as the thick bee hoon.
Substitute for thick bee hoon: If you can’t find the thicker version, you can use the regular thin version.

INGREDIENTS

Okay, please don’t freak out when you see the list of ingredients on the recipe list. Majority of them are available at your local grocery store with few exceptions like anchovy sauce or fish sauce, Hokkien noodles, rice vermicelli, noodles, Chinese chives (usually flat and wide), you will need to get them from Asian grocery stores.

TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST FRIED HOKKIEN MEE

1. Use large shrimp
Fresh or frozen doesn’t really matter. Of course, if you can get the fresh ones, go for them. I’ve been using frozen large shrimp and they are sweet and never mushy
2. Use fresh squid
I can’t say the same with the squid when it comes to frozen. Frozen package squid is pretty much tasteless! I haven’t found any that taste good at all! Please use fresh squid (or previously frozen is fine too), but not the prepackaged one from the freezer
3. Don’t be skimpy on the oil
You need the oil to make sure your fried Hokkien mee is flavorful and “shiny”
4. Prepare the noodles accordingly
Fresh Hokkien noodles doesn’t need to be soaked. If you use dried ones, cook as directed on the package. If you use dried thick bee hoon as I did, soak them in water for about 30 minutes. If you use fresh bee hoon, you don’t need to presoak
5. Cook the seafood first
The shrimp and squid are stir-fried first and then dish out and set aside. This will prevent the seafood from overcooking. They are added back at the very last step of cooking

YOUR COOKING GAME PLAN

1. Things you can do the day before:
– Prepare the shrimp. Peel the shells for the prawn stock
– Make the prawn stock
This can be made the day before.
– If you buy your bean sprouts a few days before, make sure you know how to keep your bean sprouts fresh
2. On the day of cooking:
– Presoak the thick bee hoon noodles
– Thinly slice the pork belly
– Slice the squid into rings

Now are you ready to make your own fried Hokkien mee? 🙂 Let me know how it turns out if you do try it!

Singapore Fried Hokkien Mee

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings 4 -5 servings

4.5 from 2 reviews

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Ingredients

  

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• 4 Tbsp cooking oil divided
• 3 cloves garlic finely minced
• 200 gr squid
• 200 gr shrimp from the shrimp you use for stock below
• 100 gr pork belly cut into thin strips, optional
• 4 large eggs
• 300 gr yellow noodles
• 300 gr thick bee hoon
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup Chinese chives cut into 2-inch length

Shrimp stock:

• 500 gr large unpeeled shrimp shelled and deveined, keep the shells for stock
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1 Tbsp anchovy sauce I bought Korean anchovy sauce. You may use fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced

Instructions

 

• Presoak the thick bee hoon in room temperature water (not cold or hot) for about 30 minutes and then drain off

Prepare the stock:

• Preheat a large pot. Add 1 Tbsp cooking oil and stir fry garlic for 30 seconds, add the shrimp shells and stir fry until  the shells turn pink. Add anchovy sauce, and brown sugar. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat, cover and let it gently simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and discard all the solids. You will get about 2-2 1/2 cups or a bit more of the stock. Have a taste and add a bit more anchovy sauce if needed

Stir-frying the noodles:

• Pat the shrimp and squid dry with an absorbent paper towel. Heat a large wok or if you don't have a wok, you can use a large skillet. Add 1 Tbsp of cooking oil, garlic stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add in the shrimp and squid and stir-fry until the shrimp turn pink and squid are cooked through, usually doesn't take long. Dish them out and set aside
• In the same wok/skillet, add in 2 more Tbsp of oil. Pour in the eggs and scramble them. Breaking the eggs into smaller pieces. Push them to the side. Add both rice noodles and egg noodles. Add 3 ladles of the shrimp stock and stir fry for about 3 minutes
• Add bean sprouts and chives. Stir again to mix everything. Add the shrimps and squid and the rest of the prawn stock. Gently toss to mix. Have a taste and add more fish sauce if needed. Cook until the stock is mostly absorbed. The noodles should be still a bit semi-wet. Portion out into an individual serving plate or just dish out to a large serving platter. Served with kalamansi/limes and a side of sambal chili. Serve immediately

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