Foreign visitors to Singapore and Malaysia are often confused by the differing versions of street foods they encounter in Penang compared to those in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The fact is that Malaysia is a federation of disparate states which, together with Singapore, were cobbled together by the British in 1957 to form one country. Singapore left the Malaysian federation in 1965 due to political differences.
Besides Penang and Singapore, which were basically founded by the British East India Company just over 200 years ago, the others were Malay sultanates which had lived independently for centuries and have their own culinary cultures.
Even as the Chinese and Indians migrate en masse to Singapore and Malaysia during the two centuries of British colonial rule, their cuisines also evolved separately depending upon the states they lived in.
These are some of the major street food items which bear the same names, but may be very different dishes, depending on where one finds them:
Hokkien Mee
As the name suggests, this noodle dish is of Hokkien/Fujianese origin. The Hokkiens form the majority of the Chinese in Penang and Singapore, but a small minority in Kuala Lumpur which has a mainly Cantonese Chinese populace.
Penang Hokkien mee comes in soup form: a mixture of yellow Hokkien wheat noodles, beansprouts, and thin rice vermicelli (“bee hoon”) in a spicy pork-prawn broth, garnished with poached slivers of pork, de-shelled shrimps, hard-boiled egg and golden-fried shallots.
Singapore Hokkien mee is a fried noodle dish which consisted of yellow Hokkien wheat noodles and a thick form of rice vermicelli (“chor bee hoon”). Pork-prawn broth is added during the frying process, so it can be absorbed by the noodles. The noodle dish will be garnished with slivers of pork, squid and unshelled prawns, with calamansi lime and sambal on the side. No beansprouts., which is hardly used in Singapore street food cooking.
KL Hokkien mee is fried yellow Hokkien wheat noodles with a trademark dark hue from the addition of dark soy sauce. A pork-prawn broth is also added in during the frying process. It’s fried in pork lard and heavily flavored with garlic and dried flounder. It’ll be garnished with pork, shrimp and shredded cabbage. No beansprouts.
Char Koay Teow
Of Teochew/Chaozhou/Chiuchow origin, the dish utilizes flat rice noodles called “koay teow” in Teochew and Hokkien, and “hor fun” in Cantonese.
Penang char koay teow is lightly fried “koay teow” noodles in lard, with de-shelled shrimps, blood cockles, Chinese waxed sausages and egg. Beansprouts and chives are also added. The condiments would include light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, rock sugar, and salted radish.
Singapore char koay teow is a blend of “koay teow” and yellow Hokkien wheat noodles, fried in lard, garnished with cockles and shrimps. Condiments included light and dark soy sauces, and caramel sauce (molasses/treacle). It’s wetter, gluggier than the lighter Penang version. No beansprouts, but chives may be added.
KL char koay teow - fried “koay teow” noodles with beansprouts, cockles and de-shelled shrimps. Its condiments included light and dark soy sauces, but no caramel or any form of sugar. It’s darker than the Penang version, but not as dark or gluggy as the Singapore one.
Curry Mee
Penang curry mee is a blend of yellow Hokkien wheat noodles, beansprouts, and thin rice vermicelli (“bee hoon”) in a thin, milky, salty-savory soup flavored with coconut milk. It’s garnished with its signature pig’s blood pudding, de-shelled shrimps, cockles, tofu puffs and cuttlefish.
Singapore curry mee is also a blend of yellow Hokkien wheat noodles and thin rice vermicelli (“bee hoon”) in a chicken curry, garnished with poached chicken, curried potatoes, tofu puffs and slivers of fish cake.
KL curry mee is also a blend of yellow Hokkien wheat noodles and thin rice vermicelli (“bee hoon”), though one can specfiy one’s choice of noodles: only wheat noodles, or only vermicelli, or even “hor fun” noodles.
The curry gravy here is spicier than the Penang and Singapore ones, and is garnished with its trademark long beans and eggplant. Pig’s skin, poached chicken and tofu puffs can also be found in most renditions of the KL-style curry mee.
Chee Cheong Fun
Chee cheong fun is a much-beloved Cantonese breakfast dish. The name means “pig’s intestines” in Cantonese, although no part of a pig is involved - merely that the tubular form of rolled rice noodles resembled pig’s intestines in shape.
HK has its delicate "cheong fun* - filled with shrimps or “char siew” (BBQ pork) or scallops, bathed with a light, delicate savory sauce. But that’ll be told in another story altogether.
The Singapore/Malaysian chee cheong fun is a much simpler and more rustic dish.
Penang chee cheong fun has bean sauce, chili paste and its trademark, ultra-pungent, fermented shrimp sauce (“hae koh”). It comes garnished with toasted sesame seeds and, sometimes, golden-fried shallots.
Singapore chee cheong fun’s dressing is similar to Penang’s, sans the “hae koh”, which would send Singaporeans (and most non-Penangites) into death throes at a whiff.
KL chee cheong fun has a delicious, savory blend of brown bean sauce, more complex, more savory, and sweeter than the Penang/Singapore variety. One can also order a variety of “yong tau foo” morsels like tofu, crisp-fried yuba, vegetables stuffed with fish-forcemeat, spongey dried (then rehydrated) pig’s skin, etc. to be served with it.
I shall append more street foods of differing versions between the three cities in due course.
Thanks for this.
