Hokkien Hae Mee (Prawn Noodles)

Name: Hokkien Hae Mee (Prawn Noodles)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 120 min
Ingredients: 1 lb shrimps ((shell on) (450g)); 1 lb bone-in country style pork ribs ((225g)); ½ lb pork belly ((225g)); 5 tbsp vegetable oil; 8 shallots (or 1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced); 8 shallots (or 1 large onion, peeled and blended); 4 tbsp chili paste; Salt (to taste); 2 tbsp fish sauce; 12 oz bean sprouts ((trimmed) (340g)); 4 oz kangkung (/ ong choy / water spinach (115g)); 1 lb fresh yellow noodles ((450g))

By: 👩‍🦳 Linda · Published: 🖨 July 16, 2012 · Updated: 💻November 18, 2019 · 🗨 43 Comments

Recipe ▼

Delicious Hokkien Hae Mee (Prawn Noodles) in a spicy and flavorful broth served with shrimps, slices of pork, bean sprouts, and water spinach. A must try!

Hokkien Hae Mee or mee yoke as it is called in Kuala Lumpur originated from Penang, where it is simply known as Hokkien mee. This noodle soup has since become popular in the other urban centers in Peninsula Malaysia. As the name suggests, this delectable dish has its roots in the maritime Hokkien (Fujianese) cities in China and acquired its spicy flavor in the warm tropics. Like all favorite urban dishes, the debate on the best Hokkien mee rages in both Penang and Kuala Lumpur.

Long Queue for Hokkien Hae Mee

In many of the best Hokkien mee stalls, the wait is long and fraught with the anguish. Often times the stall will run out of ingredients or soup. It is not uncommon for patrons to agree to a stripped-down version with only the noodles and the soup when the accompanying toppings and condiments run out. Such is the draw of a good bowl of Hokkien mee.

Nona-Nona

Hard to believe Nona-Nona is into its fourth month running. So far Denise and I have prepared kerabu (a Nyonya or Malay salad), used sardines, and made Chinese kuih. Since noodles make up a big part of the Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine, it is only fitting that one of Nona-Nona’s theme should feature this ingredient. Therefore, I suggested Hawker Noodles (peddler or street vendor noodles) for today’s theme and Denise being the versatile chef that she is quickly agreed. I do not have a clue as to what Denise has prepared. I hope it is not prawn noodles. 😉 Let’s hop over to her Singapore Shiok kitchen to find out.

Denise’s Cookbook

While you are there, do check out her brand new cook book launch at Kinokuniya (Takashimaya, Orchard Rd, Singapore) this Saturday, July 21, 2012 at 2:00 pm. I heard it’s going to be fun out there with chances to win copies of this cookbook, food tasting, and a cooking competition. For full details and program, click here.

Fresh Yellow/Egg Noodles

The fresh mee (yellow egg noodles) and koay teow (flat-cut rice noodles) in Malaysia and Singapore are some of the best I have eaten and they are consumed at all times of the day. When fried like in char koay teow (fried rice noodles) or combined with a tasty soup as in koay teow th’ng (soupy rice noodles) or Hokkien hae mee (prawn noodles), the combination is out-of-this-world. It is the very quality of the different noodles that sustain the popularity of the top 5 noodle dishes in Penang – Hokkien mee, asam laksa, char koay teow, koay teow th’ng, and curry mee. Over here, I am just thankful for whatever fresh or frozen noodles offered at the Asian markets.

Must-Eat Dish in Malaysia

It is almost impossible to find Hokkien Hae Mee here in Minnesota. This is one of the must-eat dishes for me when I visit Malaysia. During my recent trip, I ate it twice – once in Petaling Jaya (the one I usually go to when I visit) and the other time in Kuala Lumpur (recommended by my brother). Both soups were richly flavored with shrimps and pork. To get that deep shrimp flavor, the shrimp head and shells are fried, blended, and mixed into the soup. The soup is already slightly spicy but the punch comes from the additional chili condiment served as a side to be stirred into the soup. It’s delicious!

Hard Boiled Eggs

Many noodle dishes are served with eggs in Malaysia. Often times, slices of hard boiled eggs are added as a topping in Hokkien Hae Mee. I omitted the eggs this time.

Chili Paste

Here is my homemade version. It is easier than it looks and well worth the effort. I did take a short-cut using Korean chili paste, gochujang. I hope you will give it a try. 🙂

Update: If you wish to make your own chili paste, please check out this –> recipe.

Similar Tools Used in Making This Hokkien Hae Mee

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Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Cup and Spoon Set

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