Hokkien mee is easily one of our favourite hawker dishes ever. The thick noodles that are heavily coated in dark soy sauce are usually cooked with pork lard, prawns, garlic, lean pork, cabbage and squid in a wok over a flaming hot charcoal fire for an aromatic plate of rich goodness that’s adored by most Malaysians.
The taste of hokkien mee, however, is very subjective to various individuals. Most people like it either wet or dry, and every family has their own favourite stall. If foodies argue over which stall is the best and has the most wok hei (smoky flavours from the wok), that debate could very well go on forever.
For years, we’ve frequented many different hokkien mee stalls on a quest to pinpoint some of the good ones without the gan sui mei (alkali flavour from noodles), but there are only a handful we always return to knowing that their mouthwatering hokkien mee will never fail us. Here are five of our favourites in no particular order:
Ah Wah Chao Min Tong – Open from 6pm to 12am, this corner shop operates as Hing Kee Bak Kut Teh from morning till around 4pm. The waiting time for your food is about an hour or more, but it’s so worth it! This charcoal fire hokkien mee is on the wet side, and you can taste the garlic as well as lard infused into the sauce. They serve good sambal here too.
Location: No. 28, Jalan Ipoh, 4 1/2 Mile.
Contact: 012-2015200 / 017-2673711
Ming Hoe – Another stall along Jalan Ipoh on 2 1/2 Mile would be Ming Hoe, which is well loved by many in the Klang Valley. Besides its tasty hokkien mee that’s generously stir-fried with crunchy pork lard, Ming Hoe also serves fried peh ge (rice cake) and other eats like fish cake.
Location: 424, Jalan Ipoh, 2 1/2 Mile.
Contact: 03-40443669 (Closed on Mondays)
Kim Lian Kee – If this name sounds familiar, that’s because Kim Lian Kee now has branches around the Klang Valley. Even though it’s so successful now, the original stall where it all began is still operating until today. The hokkien mee here is dry, sticky and really tasty. Do try out the ba gau tong (smooth pork soup) and claypot loh shu fun that’s popular too.
Location: Jalan Hang Lekir, Kuala Lumpur (opposite the famous air mata kucing stall)
Contact: 03-20324984
Lian Bee Hokkien Mee – Similar to these other stalls mentioned, Lian Bee has been around for yonks. It’s a popular place to go for no-frills hokkien mee that’s guaranteed to be delicious and has a unique ‘burnt’ fragrant smell. There are no parking spots in front of the stall, so you’ll have to park a distance away and get there by foot.
Location: Lorong 1, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 019-3359203
Kai Lou Hokkien Mee – This is relatively a new find for us, but apparently it’s been around for years and is very popular amongst people that live in the Ampang area. It’s really flavourful and has a strong pork-laden dark soy sauce flavour that’s delightfully garlicky.
Location: Along the stretch of stalls on the same row as the Taman Muda pasar pagi (morning market). Open from 4.30pm to 3.30am and closed on Sundays.
