Disentangling the Noodles of Singapore

     As culinary historian Ken Albala predicted before my departure, noodles play star roles in Singapore food.  I'm a noodle novice, and not familiar with dialects other than Mandarin, so I've worked out a taxonomy of the Merlion city's noodles. Dr. Leslie Tay's The End of Char Kway Teow and Other Hawker Mysteries is my trusty guide.

     The Chinese who immigrated to Singapore came from the coastal regions of southern China and a rice rather than wheat based agriculture. Rice noodles are used in many of the Hainan, Teochew and Hokkien dishes found in the famous Hawker Centers. These noodles range from thin, vermicelli like bee hoon to thicker kway teow. Kway teow are actually wide strips of rice cake.

     Nowadays in Singapore, wheat based egg noodles are also used in thin, mee kia, and thick, mee poh or me pok, width.

Wet Noodles with Broth.

     Another noodle choices is dry or in broth.  These were our dinner choices for dinner in a Clementi Mall restaurant.

Dry Noodles with Pork Sauce.

 

     

Noodles for breakfast with Kaya Toast and chive omelette.

   














     A fellow diner informed me that the breakfast noodles are mee, the best for soaking up the flavor of the sauce.  These indeed were well infused.  (Kaya toast is the fusion of British toast with coconut jam reminiscent of apple butter.  I'm already addicted, but must ration it.)

     Next up: sorting out the specialties of the Teochew, Hokkien and Malay Hawker Center chefs and their customers' preferences.  Here's a teaser:

Noodles frying, gravy, wooden cover added for c. 10 seconds.