19 Popular Hokkien Prawn Mee in Singapore (We like No. 8 & 13)

Hokkien Prawn Mee is an iconic Singapore dish which is a variant of Penang Prawn Noodles. Although we’re next-door neighbours with Malaysia, our version of Hokkien Prawn Mee is very different from their Hokkien Char Mee. Their version consists of fried yellow noodles braised in dark soya sauce while our version is a mixture of yellow noodles and bee hoon, first fried with eggs to give it a lovely fragrance before being braised in a rich and flavoursome prawn broth. Some people prefer the Singapore Hokkien Prawn Mee to be more moist while others prefer it drier. One delicious plate is usually garnished with prawns, squid and sliced pork belly.

Hokkien Prawn Mee doesn’t sound very difficult to cook but the secret lies in how good the prawn stock is as this stock imparts the essence to the noodle and is the key ingredient that makes the plate satisfying. You have the choice to eat it with Sambal chilli and a squirt of lime juice if you like, as these help cut through the richness of the dish. Traditionally, for take-out, Hokkien Prawn Mee would be wrapped in Opeh leaf to enhance the fragrance. With Hokkien Prawn Mee easily found in many hawker centres, we bring you a list of 19 stalls (in no order of preference) that we felt were worth the calories.

1. Ming Yun Famous Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle

There wasn’t any queue on a Saturday morning so we happily ordered a plate of Hokkien Mee while watching the uncle work his magic. This is perhaps one of the fewer plates of Hokkien Mee boasting an eggy goodness. Starting at $3 per plate, the yellow noodles and thin bee hoon are accompanied by squids, prawns, slices of pork belly and bits of pork lard. As savoury as this plate of Hokkien Mee sounds, it actually finishes on a sweet note due to the seafood gravy. It’s not the best Hokkien Mee but satisfying enough if you crave a plate.

2. Havelock Road Blk 50 Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

The man behind Havelock Road Blk 50 Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, 73-year-old Uncle Soon, started helping his mother make fishballs since he was 16 years old and has been frying Hokkien Mee for 48 years. He diligently wakes up at 4am every day and starts working at 5am. He cooks the stock, peels the prawns, prepares the sotong with the help of his wife and works till 10.30pm. It may not be the best Hokkien Mee in Singapore but his passion beyond the taste and flavour is what touched our hearts. According to his caring wife, Aunty Soon, they close from 2pm to 4pm so Uncle Soon can sleep and take a break. With no one taking over, it’s best to try their Hokkien Mee soon as they don’t know when they’ve to cease operations.

3. Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Fried Prawn Mee

Also located at ABC Brickworks Food Centre, 66-year-old Mr Toh fries up plate after plate of Hokkien Mee triumphantly to hordes of customers daily. His father started selling Hokkien Mee in a push cart in Tiong Bahru during the olden days. When Mr Toh took over in the 80s, they moved into ABC Brickworks Food Centre. It’s a joy watching the uncle fry noodles. He did it so deftly, cooking the garlic, splashing generous amount of crustacean stock, and covering the noodles with a wooden lid to let the flavours absorb into the noodles. The noodles were flavourful, with a moderate smoky flavour and each plate is moist with huge fat prawns. The sambal chilli containing ikan billis is adapted from his father’s recipe and gives a good kick!

We ordered 3 plates of Hokkien Mee ($5 each). Each plate only has two prawns. For photo purpose, we took extra two prawns and a few slices of sotong from another plate of Hokkien Mee and placed it on this plate. Hence, you see a bigger portion of Hokkien Mee. Anyway, it’s better if you give Mr Toh a call to order your Hokkien Mee.

4. Eng Ho Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

Eng Ho hits the spot by using thin bee hoon in their Hokkien prawn noodle which absorbs all the sweet goodness in their soup. There was no sight of fried pork lard, but their broth was already flavourful enough. Using wild sea prawns, squid and pork to cook the rich stock, it is such a rare find because many hawkers would just go for tiger prawns. Wild sea prawns give a sweeter taste and boast a more delicate flesh. The noodles soak up the essence from the gravy, keeping it very moist. The portions are priced between $3 to $5. If you have been a fan of wetter Hokkien mee, this will suit your palate.

5. Bedok Corner Hokkien Prawn Mee

The star of Bedok Corner Food Centre might be the Chng Tng and Cuttlefish Kang Kong but if you’re craving for a plate of Hokkien Mee, this stall is decent enough to satisfy you. Using a thinner bee hoon with yellow noodles, we’re happy that these noodles were well soaked with the superior stock but perhaps, the stock could have been stronger and more robust. Their sambal belachan definitely enhanced the tastiness of this Hokkien Mee so remember to add a little even if you’re not a fan of spicy food.

6. Sheng Seng Hokkien Mee

There is always a queue at Sheng Seng Hokkien Mee. To be honest, we didn’t fancy this Hokkien Mee but our makan buddy loves it. As with inflation, the plate of Hokkien Mee is no longer at $2. You will like it if you are a fan of wet Hokkien Mee. The noodles are soft and towards the soggy side (perhaps to cater to a large group of old folks in the area). You get a few pieces of thinly sliced prawns and sotong. A squeeze of lime and some kicking chilli make the dish better.

7. Fatty Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle

Used to be at Simon Road, the stall has relocated to Ci Yuan Hawker Centre (we heard they learnt from Yi Ji). This plate of Hokkien Mee ($4) consists of noodles, bee hoon, squid, and prawn. The noodles, though fried, were served with a bit of gravy, keeping this dish slightly moist. The noodles were infused with prawn stock with mild smoky fragrance. Nevertheless, for those who like spicy food, their chilli is definitely something for you to look forward to.

8. Hainan Hokkien Mee

Fans of wet Hokkien Mee might find Hainan’s version disappointing as this is a plate of dry, fried Hokkien Mee. Its dryness cannot be contended elsewhere as the owner leaves the stock to simmer till it has evaporated, ensuring that the flavours are locked into the yellow noodles and bee hoon. Hence, you get a plate of Hokkien Mee that is immensely rich in flavours, very tasty! A smoky fragrance lingers as you savour each mouthful of noodles. Served with slices of pork belly, squid, small prawns, sambal chilli and lime, Hainan Hokkien Mee is a must-try!

9. Ah Hock Fried Hokkien Mee

Ah Hock is the stall to visit for a sinful supper fix! On weekends, especially during dinner time, expect to wait at least 45 minutes before the plate of delicious Hokkien Mee appears in front of your eyes. The broth was simmered with tip-top quality prawns and pork bones for 3 hours hence, bringing out the sweetness of the prawns. Upon your order, the owner will fry the noodles with this broth till the noodles have fully absorbed the broth. What you get is a plate of aromatic, slightly dry, delicious noodles which goes very well with their secret recipe chilli sauce.

10. Yi Ji Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

Also located around Serangoon, Yi Ji Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee is patronised by many night-owls. You’ll notice two queues at this coffee shop along Upper Serangoon Road – one for the famous Punggol Nasi Lemak and the other, for this Hokkien Mee. The standard is inconsistent as the Hokkien Mee is sometimes very moist, but too dry at other times. The only thing that remains its standard is the extremely spicy chilli sauce that might even be challenging for chilli lovers. The stall has been around for approximately 5 years and uses a number system so you can sit around comfortably while waiting for your number to be flashed on their digital “board”. One plate costs between $4 to $6.

11. Fried Baby Squid Prawn Mee

We were recommended to try this stall by Alexis’ boyfriend as he lives in the West side and oh boy! This hawker stall is surrounded by a mob of hungry diners during meal times. The father-son team is very organised as the son takes in orders and collects the money while the father focusses only on whipping up delectable plates of Hokkien Mee. Expect to wait around 30 to 45 minutes for your Hokkien Mee during dinner hours.

This version is wet and gooey and the noodles are well-soaked with rich flavours from the broth. The bite-sized squids are cooked just right, with a slightly chewy texture. The best part was the generous portions of fried pork lard served on each plate which made the Hokkien Mee even tastier. The price ranges between $3.50 to $8. Take-away Hokkien Mee of $5 and above will be wrapped in the Opeh leaf. If you’re dining at the coffee shop yet want an added fragrance to your Hokkien Mee, you can also request for your plate of Hokkien Mee to be served on the Opeh leaf if you order $5 and above.

12. Original Serangoon Fried Hokkien Mee

The owner apparently learnt the recipe from the original chef. The stock boasts a mild seafood flavour and they use the thick laksa noodles here that oaks the flavours till it becomes gooey with some smoky flavour. The sambal chilli helps to lift the flavours of the noodles. The dish is moist with pork belly, small prawns and squid but is not as eggy as a lot of Hokkien Mee out there. You can request for extra pork lard bits to put on your noodles which really makes a difference. Each plate costs $4 onwards. We suggest you order the $6 portion for takeaway because it comes wrapped within the Opeh leaf. Our packet of Hokkien Mee costs $15.

13. Xiao Di Fried Prawn Noodle

Honestly speaking, we rate Xiao Di as the best Hokkien Mee in Singapore. The plate of scrumptious Hokkien Mee includes yellow noodles, bee hoon, eggs, beansprouts, sliced pork belly, prawns, squids, garlic and sinful pork lard. All these flavours and textures burst in one mouthful. The noodles are well infused with the prawn stock. You’ll be hit by a strong taste of ‘wok hei’, which we particularly liked. The garlic and pork lard further accentuated the overall fragrance of the Hokkien Mee. Paired with Xiao Di’s specially made chilli sauce, this plate of Hokkien Mee is simply irresistible!

14. Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee

The four brothers behind Nam Sing used to run their stall in Hougang. The eldest of the brothers is the main uncle frying Hokkien Mee. It’s not hard to recognise him as he wears a goggles. The other three brothers split their work up in areas of ingredients preparation, order-taking and serving. The focus of Hokkien Mee here is on the light yet savoury gravy, complemented by the yellow noodles and thin bee hoon, which are well infused with flavours from the gravy. Instead of using the usual sambal chilli, the brothers stick to their tradition of serving only sliced chilli in soya sauce. They feel that mixing sambal chilli into the dish would mask the original flavour of the dish. Don’t be fooled if there isn’t any queue as the wait might take up to an hour during lunch and dinner time.

15. Bedok North 85 Fried Oyster

From the name of the stall, it’s obvious that the owners want to highlight their ‘orh lua’ (oyster omelette), but their Hokkien Mee far outshines the mediocre plate of ‘orh lua’. We had the $3 portion. The Hokkien Mee is neither too wet nor too dry, cooked just right. The sweetness of the stock has been well-soaked by the noodles. Served with prawns, sliced pork belly and squids, this plate is good enough to bring you contentment. Being one of the East-siders’ popular food enclaves in Singapore, Fengshan Food Centre has many other tasty offerings. Don’t waste your calories on food that aren’t worth it so, we recommend ordering a plate of Hokkien Mee for sharing if you’re in a big group. Well, good friends share calories too right?

16. Geylang Lorong 29 Fried Hokkien Mee

The man behind Geylang Lorong 29 Fried Hokkien Mee has been in this business for about half an century. He insists on frying Hokkien Mee in a style that was similarly used in the 1950s. The most important part is having a really hot wok and frying the noodles until the alkaline smell is gone. Charcoal fire heats up the entire wok and he uses a special charcoal fire wok which is half the thickness of the normal gas fire woks. This way, he can swirl the noodles around to ensure each strand is consistent and drenched in the crustacean stock. What you get is a dry plate of Hokkien Mee with a slightly charred flavour, we love it!

17. Yang Zhou Fried Hokkien Mee

We’re not sure why it was surprisingly quiet around dinner time on a Saturday night at Yang Zhou Fried Hokkien Mee but the bunch of aunties sitting at the table beside us said the queue here is always crazy. Hokkien Mee here leans towards the slightly gooey and wet side. The slippery noodles kept sliding off from our spoons. The texture of the noodles are good but it would’ve been better if the stock was full-flavoured. Perhaps, the standard is inconsistent as we’ve came across raving reviews on the standard of Hokkien Mee hence, our expectations soared sky-high. We wouldn’t say this is disappointing. Guess the Hokkien Mee just lacked the “wow” factor. The smallest portion is priced at $3.

18. Nam Kee Fried Prawn Noodle

The wait for a plate of Nam Kee Hokkien Mee is very long during dinner time so we have always skipped this stall and went for other food. By the time we finished our meal and thought the queue had died down, the Hokkien Mee is already sold out. We finally had an opportunity last weekend and the Hokkien Mee was served in a jiffy. The yellow noodles and thick bee hoon had been simmered in the stock for a good timing as it turned out not too mushy, still retaining some of its QQ texture. We could clearly taste the sweetness of the seafood stock, which was further intensified by the freshness of the prawns and sotong. Sambal chilli wasn’t too spicy and gives the dish a nice finish.

19. Tian Tian Lai (Come Daily) Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

Don’t be deceived when there’s no queue in front of Tian Tian Lai Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee as numerous orders have already been placed and the helpers at the stall serve the plate of smothering goodness directly to their customers’ table. The average waiting time is around 30 minutes. What arrived was a plate of well-balanced harmony of aromas and flavours. Hokkien Mee here leans towards the gooey side, with a distinctive crustacean taste of the stock. The prawns and sotong weren’t the highlight but we definitely love the full-flavoured noodles.

It doesn’t matter which area of Singapore you live in as there is a good one at almost every corner of Singapore. Do comment and share more Hokkien Mee stalls that you feel are worth visiting with us. We will prolly drop by and add more to our list.

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visits and paid its own meals at the stalls featured here.

Let’s build a food community that helps to update the food news in Singapore! Simply comment below if there’s any changes or additional info to the stalls listed above. We will verify and update from our side. Thanks in advance!