Bak Chor Mee 肉脞面

Bak Chor Mee 肉脞面 – the al dente texture of mee kia (fine noodles) was much better than the abalone mee pok.

Mee Kia is fine egg noodles almost like those used in Wanton Noodle Soup – always reliable and very distinctive in its physical composition which never fails to arouse your tasting organ whenever you eat. Mee Pok, or as I have fondly nicknamed Chinese fettucine, is my favourite Asian pasta. However, a good mee pok is hard to come by these days. What makes a good mee pok? Firstly, the noodles have to be ever so slightly translucent when cooked. The texture should be springy (or as we locals say – QQ) and the mouthfeel after consumption should not have floury aftertaste. Mee Pok Tah (Tah = Dry) is quite uniquely Singapore and I dare say our hawkers have perfected this dish even if other countries serve it. Fishballs are Teochew in essence but serving mee pok or mee kia (fine noodles) with fishballs, minced pork, pork balls and stewed mushrooms in chilli sauce containing buah keras, dried shrimps, chilli paste and lard ultimately evolved it into an Southeast Asian dish more so than a pure Chinese cuisine.

My trip tonight was to find Hock Chew Fishball noodles. Hock Chew Fishballs have minced pork meat embedded inside the fish paste balls but we failed to locate the shop in Jalan Sultan. We drove around some more and ended up in Liang Seah Street. I have not been here for quite some time and was pleasantly surprised by the bustling atmosphere. Many new eateries have opened shop since I left Singapore. The scene is a welcome change in comparison to the old days where dingy buildings and street (without the neon signs) were lacklustre.

Lacklustre Liang Seah Street in old days.

Meng loves old stuff and that includes old signage or anything resembling old. I guess he is comfortable food hunting with me because he deems me an antique. But that’s alright as I term anything above 21 years old as officially an antique ;-) Going back on track, Meng spotted an old signage which attracted him but it was the crowd outside the shop that got my attention. Coincidentally, both of us made a mental note to come back for dessert later.

Oodles of Noodles at Seng Huat Bak Chor Mee.

We walked further along the street and came to the main road facing Bugis Junction. Looking left and right, we found ourselves gravitating to the left staring at the sign board displaying Abalone Mee Pok Tah (鲍鱼面薄干) and Bak Chor Mee Kia (肉脞面 – minced pork noodles). We walked over and made a quick decision to have a simple one dish meal of noodles. Both of us, still unbeknownst to each other, were actually making room for desserts. But that will be tomorrow’s post.

For now, Meng and I will make do with our oodles of noodles and a steamy bowl of fishballs fishcake soup.

Abalone Mee Pok Tah 鲍鱼面薄干

I was a little disappointed with the texture of mee pok – limp and none of the QQ texture I was expecting. The abalone could be mock but stewed mushrooms were bursting with juices when chomped into, nice!

Teochew Fish Balls and Fish Cake Soup. The fishballs were overly saltish.

My meal is here but my heart is there (thinking of the desserts).

Mix Mee Pok together with the chilli sauce and chow down.

Late dinner crowd enjoying noodles and there’s BKT (Bak Kut Teh) served here too.

Meanwhile enjoy the video of making BCM by Makansutra’s ( synonymous with KF Seetoh) recipe below :)

Makansutra’s Bak Chor Mee Recipe (serves 1)
Ingredients for Chilli:
200g Chili Paste.
15g Ginger, peel skin.
15g Garlic, peel skin.
30g Shallots, peel skin.
20g Lemongrass, lower white part only.
50g Dried Shrimps, soaked.
200ml Water.
10g Belachan (block type).
10g Buah Keras (candlenuts). You may substitute with 40g of Dark Bitter Chocolate if Buah Keras are not available.

Seasoning for Noodles:
1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce.
1 tablespoon Black Vinegar.
2 tablespoons Lard.
2 teaspoon Sambal Chilli.

Ingredients for Noodles during Assembly:
120 gram Mee Pok Noodles.
15 gram Beansprouts.
30 gram Minced Pork.
4 slice Pork Loin.
2 piece Pork Balls,
4 slices Fish Cake.
1 leaf Chinese Lettuce.
1 stalk Spring Onion, diced.
2 pieces Dried Sole Fish (Tee Po Fish – deep-fried or roasted).

Watch video for blanching and assembly of noodles.

Seng Huat Bak Chor Mee
Seng Huat Eating House.
492 North Bridge Road.
Singapore 188737.

Happy noodling and bonding :)

See other BCM posts:
TIAN NAN XING MINCED PORK NOODLE 添南兴肉脞面
XING JI ROU CUO MIAN 兴记肉脞面
BEDOK 85 XING JI ROU CUO MIAN 兴记肉脞面