History

Brought by Hokkien immigrants who wasted nothing, the soup extracts its colour and sweetness from prawn heads and shells pounded and simmered with pork bones. In Penang the name Hokkien mee means this prawn soup, while Kuala Lumpur uses the same name for black fried noodles, a divide locals police fiercely. Presgrave Street's 888 stall has kept its version to the 30-year mark, and morning stalls like Bridge Street serve it as a breakfast rather than a supper.

Common allergens: Shellfish, Egg, Soy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 40 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g prawns with heads and shells
  • 500g pork ribs
  • 2 litres water
  • 6 shallots and 6 dried chillies, blended
  • 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 200g yellow noodles and 200g rice vermicelli
  • 100g kangkung or water spinach
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
  • Fried shallots and chilli paste to serve

Method

  1. Peel the prawns; keep heads and shells. Fry the shells in oil until deep orange, pressing to release the juices.
  2. Pound or blitz the fried shells, then simmer with pork ribs in the water for 90 minutes. Strain hard through a sieve.
  3. Fry the shallot-chilli paste in oil until fragrant, add to the strained broth with sugar and salt to taste; it should be brick red.
  4. Poach the peeled prawns in the broth for 2 minutes and slice the rib meat.
  5. Blanch noodles and kangkung, bowl them, top with prawns, pork and egg, ladle broth over, and finish with fried shallots.

Tip from the editors. The broth lives or dies on frying the shells hard before simmering; pale shells make pale soup, and no amount of chilli paste rescues it.

Where to eat hokkien mee (prawn mee)

Hokkien mee (prawn mee) in Penang

888 Hokkien Mee ★ 4.4

Hokkien$jelutongMon-Wed, Fri-Sun 17:00-24:00; closed ThuUntil 24:00, closed ThursdaysCash only

888 Hokkien Mee keeps its prawn broth going until midnight on Lebuh Presgrave, the Penang supper bowl at the end of a night on Beach Street.

Try: Hokkien mee prawn noodle soup

Tip: The last hour still gets the full topping list; ask for extra pork lard crisps to finish the broth properly.

67-A Lebuh Presgrave, 10300 George Town, Penang

Bridge Street Prawn Noodle ★ 4.3

Hokkien$george-townTue-Fri 07:00-14:30; Sat 07:00-13:30; Sun 07:00-12:30; closed MonCash only

Bridge Street Prawn Noodle serves its Bib Gourmand Hokkien mee mornings only at the far end of Beach Street, Penang's old-time daybreak bowl.

Try: Hokkien mee and loh mee combo

Tip: Order the ham ban, half Hokkien mee and half loh mee in one bowl; it is the combination the stall is known for.

533 Lebuh Pantai, 10300 George Town, Penang

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