Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee: The difference between Hokkien Mee and Rochor Mee
You know about Rochor Mee? (or Lohchor Mee depending on whether you pronounce your Rs) Ever wondered what is the difference between Rochor Mee and Hokkien Mee? There are many explanations that I have come across. One says that Hokkien Mee was originally called Rochor Mee because the Hokkien Coolies would gather around the noodle factories in Rochor and fry the noodles with prawn stock for dinner. Someone else says that Rochor Mee is simply a darker, more gooey version of Hokkien Mee.
I decided to find a Professor of Hokkien Meeology to get the facts straight.
Having been in the Hokkien Mee business for over 40 years, Mr Alex See, one of the Street Hawkers featured in Yeo's Street Hawker Masters 2007, might just be the person who can help me.
According to Prof See, the Rochor Mee is the Nonya interpretation of the traditional Hokkien Mee. Traditional Hokkien Mee is fried until it is dry and eaten with sliced chillies. It was the Nonyas that came along and made the noodles with more gravy and used sambal to spice up the dish.
So I asked him how come he serves his Hokkien Mee with sambal? To which he quipped that he had no choice since many Singaporeans have grown used to having sambal with their Hokkien Mee. But he gave me a few slices of chilli and told me to eat it with just the sliced chilli if I wanted to taste the original Hokkien Mee. Hmmmm.. the taste is indeed very different.
Prof See boasts that his Hokkien Mee is fried in a style that is the same as in the fifties. The emphasis is on having a really hot wok and frying the noodles until you get rid of the "Kee" smell. He explains that a charcoal fire heats up the entire wok and that he uses a special charcoal fire wok which is half the thickness of the normal gas fire woks. This way he can really swirl the noodles around to make sure that every strand gets it fair attention from the wok. Hence his Hokkien Mee is really "fried" and not simply "stewed".
I have been eating here since he opened the stall at East Coast 7 years ago and this has always been one of my top Hokkien Mee spots. The noodles are really darn shiok but can be a little oily. I usually have to control myself as so that I don't overeat and end up filling really full for the rest of the day. 4.5/5
Conclusion
One of the best Hokkien Mees around. The noodles are very well fried and the lard is crispy. I am sure there are already many fans of this particular Hokkien Mee amongst our readers.
Updated on 18 Sep 2008
They have relocated to 1 Joo Chiat Place. Read the lastest update here.
Geylang Lor 29 Fried Hokkien Mee
396 East Coast Road
11.30am to 9.30pm
Closed on Mondays
10 comments:
This post is long overdue!
His HKM packs the most punch! Simply shiok shiok shiok! MY FAVOURITE HKM.
Caution: If you are caught in 'peak hour' or order at the wrong time, you end up waiting one or two batches before your HKM is served. Believe me, the wait is agonising. But good things must wait. Patience will be rewarded ;)
The carrot cake here is also to DIE FOR, though i can't say the same for the or luak.
The only complaint is that the portion is very small! (Maybe I have a huge stomach =x)
So here's the trick: NEVER go alone. Otherwise 'bo hua' (no value). Bring company along and order bigger portions - more value =)
Usually every fortnightly, my kakis in NS would gather for dinner and the 4 of us would wallop $20 plate with orh luak and carrot cake. My whole family also eats there frequently.
'nuff said. =)
You mean this was formally from Geylang Lor 29 and the current store at Geylang is fake? I tried the store and Geylang and found it not impressive.
Eh, Mr Anonymous, are you referring to the stoall at Geylang or East Coast? I tried the EC and find it shiok.
The stall at Lor 29 is manned by his brother if i remember correctly.
Yes that is right. The Lor 29 is the brother's. The one at Changi Road (Teluk Kurau) is his sister-in-law. They are all one big charcoal Hokkien Mee family!
I'm a fan of this HKM too! This street is really a good place for 'mee', with Chai Chee Bak Chor Mee and Beach Road Prawn Mee just a few steps ahead.
i always go to the geylang... my favour hokkien mee stall... its really authentic!
Try the Geylang's Lorong 29 Hokkien Mee. It's yummy too! (think they're brothers)
Best HKM around, so says my palate.
Alex is a wonderful chap, I vividly remember I went for his HKM on a sunday evening with my parents (I'm only 18 this year), and was one of his last few patrons for the day.
Since they are closed on mondays, he stir-fried the remaining prawns that he had, and offered some to me. And the prawns were huger than what he normally serves.
He really knows how to keep his patrons!
Awesome dude, awesome hokkien mee, what's not to love?
there's a hkm at dover road market (opposite fairfield methodist school) which is the best in sg! i've been eating it for 15 years and it's still the best!!
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