Newton Circle's hokkien mee--looks good but was sub-par:
Unsatisfying. So, I had to have my fill at my favourite place to have Hokkien mee ... oddly enough, it's the Food Republic version (I can only vouch for the Wisma outlet, but I suppose the rest should be good too).
No picture of the awesomeness.
And upon listening to my Hokkien mee escapades, Mummy decided that I should try to make Hokkien mee from scratch to feed the family. And so I did!
This is my version:
Belachan in the corner of the plate, not featured. It was surprisingly authentic-tasting and reasonably simple to make. Of course, it was leagues beneath my favourite Wisma Food Republic version haha. But still, an accomplishment, I think! The secret, I think, is in using quality ingredients. My egg noodles were a little too eggy.
Singapore Hokkien Mee recipe (feeds 5 to 6):
- About 25 prawns or more (the more the better, right?)
- A big chicken bouillon cube
- A whole squid, sliced
- Half a head of garlic, finely chopped
- 3 to 4 eggs
- A packet of thick rice noodles
- A packet of yellow egg noodles minus a little (I prefer more white than yellow)
- A giant packet of bean sprouts
- A few sprigs of spring onions
- Salt, fish sauce, and sesame oil to taste
1. De-head and de-shell prawns. Add heads and shells to a small pot of boiling water with a chicken cube, and boil for an hour. Toss in a bit of salt to taste. This makes a yummy prawn stock.
2. Remove shells. Drop prawns and squid into the stock, blanch for a couple of minutes, and remove quickly when just cooked.
3. Fry garlic in oil. Crack in eggs and scramble them. Add in noodles. Cook on high until noodles start to brown slightly.
4. Add 1/3 stock and fry until it's almost dry. Add another 1/3 stock, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer until it's almost dry.
5. Add in prawns, squid, bean sprouts, spring onions, and remaining stock. Add fish sauce and sesame oil to taste. Turn heat back up and cook to your desired dryness (I like my Hokkien mee more wet).
6. Serve with sambal and lime. Garnish with parsley and take a stunning photograph of it so you can show off to your friends that you just made Hokkien mee from scratch!!
(Adapted from this really good recipe.)