5 Singaporean Noodles You Never Knew Existed Singapore
“Singapore Noodles” has been quite the popular dish on the menu whenever you visit an Asia restaurant in a Western country. It seems like a no brainer that Singapore, being a food paradise, would have its own signature dish.
Ironically, Singapore Noodles exist in every other place but Singapore and the dish varies from country to country.
If you’re headed to Singapore to try some noodles, you’re in luck as the city is home to many noodle dishes that spans across Singapore’s rich multi-racial cultures. Here are some real Singapore noodles (or as the locals call it, “mee”) you can try on your next visit.
1) Chicken Curry Noodles
A dish that encapsulates Singapore’s multi-cultural background, the chicken curry noodle is a fusion of Chinese, Malay and Indian cooking styles and ingredients.
Succulent chicken cuts are cooked with thick gravy, juicy tofu puffs and choice of noodles (egg, rice, wheat noodles). They all come together to provide a hot, savoury experience that, surprisingly, isn’t too spicy despite how it looks.
There aren’t a lot of stalls in Singapore that sells chicken curry noodles but you can find two popular ones at Hong Lim Market and Food Centre in Chinatown. We’d greatly recommend Heng Kee Curry Chicken Noodles who have been operating for 60 years based on a classic recipe.
2) Laksa
Rich, spicy and simmering in thick gravy, laksa has its roots in the Peranakan community. The Peranakans are a community of people with mixed Chinese and Malay/Indonesia heritage. Many trace their roots to 15th-century Malacca and it’s through this melting pot of influences where the laksa was born.
The dish’s gravy base is a dizzying blend of lemongrass, chillies, turmeric, dried shrimp and shrimp paste, all cooked with a coconut milk base. It’s especially lovely to slurp with thick vermicelli noodles and toppings such as prawns, fishcake and crunchy bean sprouts.
There’s been a great debate and rivalry among laksa stall owners on who sells the best bowl, especially in the Katong area, where the dish is claimed to be originated from. However, our pick would be outside of Katong with Sungei Road Laksa situated at 27 Jalan Berseh.
It’s so good that Gordon Ramsay lost to these folks in a laksa cook-off back in 2013. A must-try.
3) Mee Rebus
A breakfast staple among many Singaporeans, mee rebus is a Malay dish which literally means “boiled noodles”. The dish is made of yellow egg noodles with a thick potato-based gravy that balances sweet and savoury.
Mee rebus is generously garnished with fried tofu, a hard boiled egg, dried shrimp, lime, bean sprouts and green chili for that spicy kick.
It’s available at most hawker centres but one of our favourites can be found at Afandi Hawa & Family Mee Rebus at Haig Road. This stall has formed an almost cult-like following due to their delicious mee rebus served in generous portions.
And if you’re craving for dessert, this same hawker centre is host to the uber popular Haig Road Putu Piring – a national treasure that was featured in Netflix’s “Street Foods” documentary.
4) Mee Goreng
From breakfast food to one that hits the spot any time of day, mee goreng can be translated to “fried noodles” and it’s easily the most popular noodle dish in Singapore.
A menu essential of any 24-hour Indian food stall, they’re made from yellow egg noodles and stir-fried with a blend of soy sauce, tomato sauce, sambal chili, egg, salt, shredded cabbage and a dash of red colouring that gives it its iconic fiery red complexion.
Mee goreng also comes in other variations which swaps out the yellow noodles for the likes of thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon goreng) and instant ramen noodles (maggi goreng). You’ve also got a wide range of add-ons from a sunny side up egg, fried anchovies and fried chicken to kick it up a notch.
There are tons of amazing Indian food outlets that sell mee goreng but our pick would be the popular Al-Azhar Eating Restaurant that serves a ginormous range of Indian-Muslim fare at 11 Cheong Chin Nam Road. It’s so good that David Beckham had this dish when he was in Singapore.
5) Hokkien Prawn Mee
Who knew that creating a broth mixed with pork bones and prawn heads would make for one of the best loved dishes in Singapore? The Hokkien community, Singapore’s largest Chinese dialect group, knew it before everyone else and they produced the amazing Hokkien prawn mee.
The very stock forms the base of this stir-fried dish made with a mix of yellow egg noodles and thick vermicelli. Throw in juicy prawns, squid, pork belly strips and egg and you’ve got yourself a winning combination. The dish usually gets a drizzle of lime to add some tanginess to each bite and at some stores, you can add some crunchy pork lard for a little extra indulgence.
Our recommended pick would go to Hainan Friend Hokkien Prawn Mee based at Golden Mile Food Centre or to Tiong Bahru
So there you have it, 5 of Singapore’s cherished noodle dishes that are a must-try when visiting the sunny island. But more than just these noodles, the food paradise is home to a never-ending array of scrumptious foods that will appease even the most insatiable foodie.
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