FRIED HOKKIEN PRAWN MEE

This is a Singapore original. I have never come across Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee in Malaysia, Xiamen, Quanzhou or Hui’an, my ancestral home in Fujian Province. Two types of noodles are used. Yellow Hokkien Mee (Phuket where there is quite a lot of Hokkien Chinese, uses this type of noodle too) and Bee Hoon or Rice Vermicelli (which can be a thin or thicker version). The stock to simmer the noodles during the preparation is made from pork bones and prawn shells. Authentic versions will have prawns, slivers of belly pork and squid, and fried pork lard. A green lime is to be squeezed over to refresh the dish.

I never bother with the chilli because it blunts the dish. Squid – even more so than prawns – can taste particularly metallic or “fishy” with an acidic wine. Opt instead for a white that has body, texture and roundness.  If you enjoy chilli with the dish, a semi-sweet or fortified white does wonders. Whisky, Cognac and Armagnac are also great pairings. The Singapore Tourism Board has an entry for Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee at www.visitsingapore.com/dining-drinks-singapore/local-dishes/hokkien-prawn-mee/.