Charcoal Fried Hokkien Mee: Just as the signboard says!
Does a charcoal fire really make a difference to the taste of the food? I know that a charcoal grill definitely imparts a smoky flavour to satay and other BBQed meats, but how does a charcoal fire 
actually impart taste through a wok to Hokkien Mee? Some would argue that it is the intensity and the wider distribution of the heat that makes the difference. Personally, I think that it is just a novelty and novelties attract attention.
I'll bet that when the first gas stoves came out, people said that food cooked over gas was more tasty. It's just like HDB homes. When they first came out, all the people living in the Kampungs rushed to get the HDB flats. Nowadays, the situation is the other way around, although, the Kampung hut would have to have nice toilets, air-conditioning and broadband connection before I would trade my home for it.
Hokkien Mee $3
You don't commonly find Hokkien Mee cooked over a Charcoal Fire nowadays, so when I saw the banner advertising this newly opened stall at Telok Kurau Road, I just had to go investigate. It turns out that they are related to the Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee which also uses Charcoal Fire and the stall over at East Coast Road also known as "Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee".
The old lady frying the Hokkien Mee certainly looks about right for the role. Still spotting a sleeveless blouse with a hanky sticking out of her armpit, she had been frying Hokkien Mee for over 20 years at the Geylang Lor 9 stall. This might explain why the Qiu Ji Hokkien Mee over at Lor 9 did not quite meet up with expectations the last time.
Standing there watching her fry the Hokkien Mee is a treat which you would not want to miss. It's got that old fashioned, nostalgic feel about it. Everything gets really messy as the noodles are flagrantly swirled around the wok with some rogue bits escaping off the rim. The expectation builds as the stock gets added to the noodles and the cover is placed over the wok. Then the long minute before the lid is finally lifted you are rewarded greeted with the blossoming fragrance as the noodles and the stock merge to become the familiar yellow-brown gooey mass. Finally the prawns are added and the noodles are unceremoniously scooped onto a plate that is way too small. Absolute magic!
Hokkien Mee fried over charcoal somehow does give it a bit of an edge in taste. Whether it is psychological or not, I am not sure. The noodles are nice and gooey but not overly rich and they use the thin bee hoon which absorbs the stock very well. For $3 you get a generous portion with three good sized prawns. The only let down was the pork lard which was not crispy which lowered the ratings by a quarter of a point. 4.25/5
Conclusion
Bit of a Heritage Hokkien Mee with a good lineage. It's only been opened for a month, so do try it and let us know if it meets up to your standards.
Charcoal Fried Hokkien Mee
324T Changi Road Kim San Leng Food Centre
11am to 10pm
Closed in Tuesdays
81823745 SMS/Call to order half an hour for pickup
27 comments:
The or luak is above average as well. Since the opening it's been very popular for the hokkien mee. For me gives Nam Sing a run for the money.
The Charcoal fire part, Charcoal fires actually give a more intense and yet the heat is spread out evenly around the wok, unlike gas stoves which concentrate the heat around certain areas and heats up the rest of the wok via conduction.
Top 3 Hokkien Mee ... Nam Sing, Lor 29 and Come daily@Toa Payoh Lorong 1 ...all 3 diff tastes and characteristics ...
Palmer...given the shape of the wok and the trough of charcoal the wok sits on, how can it be logically argued that the charcoal spreads the heat more evenly compared to gas? This cannot be true unless u are saying that the charcoal wraps round every part of the wok...which is impossible. The fact is that charcoal heats up the rest of the wok via conduction just like gas. Though I do agree that the temperature of the heat could be different and possibly more intense.
Have been wanting to recommend this place to you since I found it, but somehow I never found the time to email it to you. Glad you drove past it and had a try. This is definitely one of my top 5 hokkien mee. By the way, if like me, you like your hokkien mee on the spicy side, tell the uncle/aunty frying it and they'd suggest putting raw garlic at the side for you. And if you ta-pau it, by the time you reach home, the raw minced garlic would have been slightly cooked and absorbed. Its super yummy! Do give it a try.
I am surprised they accept $3 orders. Over at East Coast Road and at Kim\'s, Eunos, the minimum is $4. Must be the newly opened factor.
Hello,
I am new here. Reading your blog always makees me drooling lol. I will definetely visit all the places score 4 and above when I am in Singapore =)
Just had lunch there. The HKM is more watery thus soggy. She took less time for the mee to cook and used an aluminiu cover instead of the wooden type.The lard no more crispy due to the additional water. Result not bad 4/5 for me.
I tell you hor, I beh tahan must get my FHM today hor. ;)
Had the CFHM this afternoon for lunch. I am sorry to comment that it taste horrible,so oily and gooey.Just took two spoons of it and left the rest.
look yummy, i wana try!
Tried it again for dinner tonight. Was not as good as previous occasions. The cook was a younger man. I believe this is the reason for the difference in quality.
Wah sey, I tabao two pack of FHM home. Everyone whack and finish the 2 packs in 2 minutes flat, ehm maybe 5. My daughter, she won't eat noodles but this one, she see the crispy lard and grab chopstick and spoon. She said "hor jia" at each mouthful and hamtan habis.
Jeffrey, you rock, man. The raw garlic give it extra kick like you said.
Hmmm, looks like to get the max ooomph out of this HKM is to tapao, it with raw garlic and make sure its the old lady who is doing the frying!
Went all the way to the end of Telok Kurau to dabao the HKM and Carrot Cake for dinner.
Personally, I would think - in comparison with my current favourite one along East Coast Road (Food 'R' Us) - this HKM a bit lacking in flavour and taste. Perhaps the difference in stock or cooking technique?
Although I must say the plus point is the pretty generous portion which makes this HKM value for money.
All in all, the HKM and carrot cake are commendable. Din try the or luak but think I will check it out in future. 4/5
Meanwhile, I would be more inclined to stick to my favourite over at East Coast Road and it's much more convenient to satisfy that HKM craving.
zhouzi, glad you like the raw garlic too :) Am going there this afternoon to tapao it for lunch for my mom, my wife, and myself. I have been craving it for a few days now....
Hi everyone,
I'm looking for the Fried Hokkien Mee along Little INdia (maybe its called Rangoon Road) and the road lead up to Boon Keng/Bendemeer. The Kopitiam is somehow opposite Some nightclubs. That was donkey years back. Is this Fried Hokkien Mee stall still around and whats their operating time? Thanks!
Pls give us a pen name. Yes it is operating. Pls see ieat earlier blogs under Hokkien Mee.
Serangoon Hokkien Mee: Traditional Opeh Leaf Hokkien Mee!?
Are u referring to the above? That doesnt seem to be that Serangoon Road fried hokkien mee.
PReviously I saw it on Makan Sutra on channel69. However, I have no idea how long ago was that show. 2-3yrs old? *shrug* That was exactly the stall I'm looking for and it seem to be at the same venue
Most people know about this stall so when author said not many people know about this stall (the ieatishooipost thread on hokkien mee), i dont think that that's the one I'm looking for. I've read through that thread couple of times but dont see anything near to what I'm looking for(hopefully).
Regards
HokkienPAI
just back from eating it with my friend.. 4/5...or maybe 3.5/5.. the lard pieces not crispy enough and it's the guy cooking not the mum..feel that it's not as aromatic as Kims@Eunos..I think u can try the hokkien mee at upper changi road opp the mosque and Shell.. something different.. with ikan bilis.. making the soggy mee with the crispy taste of the ikan bilis..feel that it's also better than here..
Hi HokkienPAI, please re-read ieat's post on the serangoon road FHM. He did said the old man passed away. The post included a photo of of the original stall at Sing Thye Coffee shop. Actually this shop is a few doors away from the road junction.
It should be the one you are looking for. So you can stop searching and try this stall at 56 New Upp Changi, you may like it who knows. Personally I tried it but it lack the wok hei of the old man.
Hi,
Sorry, forgot to mention there is a stall at serangoon rd opp the shell station one bldg down from the French Stall. It tried to pass itself off as the successor of the old man FHM. If you see it please avoid it as it is a poor imitator of the original. I had seen the guy frying FHM and recognised him as the old man's assistant. Tried it and now avoiding it. Lousy and very ex. 2/5 maybe.
after trying tuckshop...I am going to try these too.....must be good......
The serangoon HKM is now at 56 New Upper Changi Rd but now is passed down to the 3rd generation. Went and try, taste ok but dont have the old man's wok hei maybe due to cant use charcoal now.
tried it today. A $3 plate. An elderly lady fried it. Quite nice but I felt that it was not simmered long enough.
Tried it today. Sedap lah! But the pork lard is still not crispy, what a waste. Otherwise, it would have been an almost perfect plate of Hokkien Mee for me.
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