Penang's Hokkien mee is a deep-red prawn broth over yellow and rice noodles, topped with prawns, pork slices, egg and crisp shallots, chilli paste on the side.

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.

Where to eat Hokkien mee (prawn mee) in Penang

2 editor picks for Hokkien mee (prawn mee) in Penang, ranked by editorial score. All Penang signature dishes · Hokkien mee (prawn mee) across every city.

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Make it at home

Serves Serves 42 hrIntermediate

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.

Editor tip. 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.

Common allergens: Shellfish, Egg, Soy.