Food has always been an integral part of Singapore’s culture, but do us locals really know where our famous dishes come from? In this series, we talk about the history of some of Singapore's local dishes and some places to have them. First up, Hokkien Mee!
A Short History on Singapore’s Hawker Scene
Many of our local dishes actually originate from culture of different immigrants who settled in Singapore during the early days. Over time, these dishes evolved to become our iconically lovable local dishes, forming an important part of us Singaporeans.
Singapore’s hawker culture started in the 1800s where cooks would roam around the island with pots and woks making makeshift eateries. In the late 1900s, unlicensed hawkers were classified as illegal and thus hawker centers began. Having hawker centers allowed hawkers to be in a centralised location, with proper hygienic conditions and a uniformed model.
Hokkien Mee
While Hokkien Mee may have been introduced to Singapore by Hokkien immigrants, us locals have evolved it into something uniquely Singaporean. There are many different stories of how this dish came about,. One tale of how Hokkien Mee was created in Singapore suggests that this dish was originally named Rochor Mee as Hokkien immigrants in the 1930s would fry up excess noodles over charcoal along Rochor Road after work. While others claim that this dish was created by a stall next to old 7th Storey Hotel, near Rocher Road.
According to Mr Vincent Gabriel, this dish was originally named Rochor Mee as it was created in Rochor Market in the early 60s. As this market frequently had leftover pork, hawkers would cut them up, cook them into a prawn broth and later stir fried with noodles. This dish was known as Rochor Mee which later became Hokkien mee.
Fried Hokkien Mee interestingly also refers to a completely different dish in some parts of Malaysia. For example, Hokkien Mee found in Kuala Lumpur is a dish containing flat noodles cooked in black sauce while Hokkien Mee found in Penang is a prawn noodle soup dish. While all these dishes contain prawns as their main ingredient, they are all prepared differently. Singapore’s version of Hokkien Mee consists of yellow nools and thick been hoon, stir fried with egg, pork, and prawns.
Over the years, this dish had evolved and grew from only being created in hawker stalls to being served in casual dining restaurants. Chef Justin Quek serves up his unique take on Hokkien Mee with his Signature Wok Fried Live Maine Lobster Hokkien Noodle at his casual dining restaurant, “JustIN Flavours of Asia”. Chef Justin takes a modern approach to his dishes, further adding a local Singaporean touch in them.
While in 2016, Restaurant Labyrinth also took traditional Hokkien Mee to the next level. Their interpretation of Hokkien Mee is served with boston lobster and egg yolk noodles. Labyrinth creates a brand new dining experience, even for locals, as they give local Singaporean flavours and dishes a unique twist.
Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee
If you are interested in trying some traditional hokkien mee, Nam Sing Hokkien Mee in Old Airport Road Food Center has been serving up this dish since the 1960. For all the yellow noodle haters out there, this hokkien mee stall serves up hokkien mee with thin bee hoon noodles instead of yellow noodles! Nam Seng Hokkien Mee is owned by Mr Ng Hock Wah, still diligently working at 72 years old. His hokkien mee is fragrant, flavourful and filled with wok hey — definitely worth a try!
Address: 51 Old Airport Rd, #01-32, Singapore 390051
Opening Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 10AM - 5PM
Closed on Mondays
Phone: 6440 5340
JustIN Flavours of Asia
Address: L1-83, Bay Level, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Ave, 018956
Opening Hours: Monday - Sunday 12PM-10:30PM
Phone: 6688 7722
Restaurant Labyrinth
Address: 8 Raffles Ave, 02-23, Singapore 039802
Opening Hours: Wednesday - Sunday 12PM-2:30PM, 6:30PM-10PM
Closed on Mondays
Tuesday 6:30PM-10PM
Phone: 6223 4098
