Best eats: Hokkien prawn mee with 'killer' chilli at ABC Brickworks Food Centre
In the labyrinth of stalls at ABC Brickworks Food Middle, 1 man has been quietly serving up outstanding Hokkien mee since the 1980s. Just recently has his noodles been making a bigger racket, thanks to a Michelin Bib Gourmand mention.
My Makan Kaki Koh Han Jie, head chef of Elfuego and quite the gourmand himself, recommended that I get in line to endeavor Toh Seng Wang's expertly fried noodles, despite the longer queues.
Armed with an empty tummy and a sizeable supply of patience, I paid Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee a weekday visit but before opening time at 3pm.
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There were already two people waiting in front of the shuttered stall and past the fourth dimension I joined the queue, seven people had crept ahead. Which got me thinking – what makes this Hokkien mee so worth queuing for? Is it how high he tosses the noodles? Or is it the enormous wooden wok cover that looks similar Captain America'south shield?
Subsequently observing the spritely 71-twelvemonth-old perform his impressive culinary kungfu for nearly 20 minutes, I asked him. He was quick to downplay accolades: "My Hokkien mee is zippo special. If people like, they come and I cook."
This is something I've heard experienced hawkers say modestly fourth dimension and fourth dimension over again. But there's no doubt Toh is an accented master.
After picking upwards the art of frying Hokkien mee from his begetter, who used to operate from a pushcart on the streets of – you guessed information technology – Tiong Bahru in the 1960s, he'due south had twoscore years of his own experience to perfect his craft. And then impressive are his ample skills, it's worth providing a play-by-play analysis.
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His slight effigy was absolutely dwarfed by his enormous wok, which looked seasoned by years of use. "No lah, this wok is brand new," Mr Toh cheekily told me. Methodically laid out were limes, sambal chilli, pre-cooked prawns and squid on his left. Stacks of eggs, seasoning sauce, garlic and oil sat on shelves to his right and situated betwixt him and his stove, perched just a few centimetres off the basis, was a large pot of homemade prawn stock.
And just like a martial artist, Toh had his weapons of choice: An industrial-sized spade ladle and an equally large soup ladle, which he used to scoop liquid lard into his fire-blasted wok.
Another sign that the guy is a Hokkien mee sifu? His ane-handed egg-crevice. Quick as a flash, he tapped egg subsequently egg on the handle of his ladle and unleashed a total of six into the wok. Some other liberal ladle of liquid lard, a quick stir, then bean sprouts were added, followed by bee hoon (rice vermicelli) and yellow noodles.
In went another ladleful of lard over everything for a slick stir, so with lightning speed and slap-up flair, arcs of prawn stock flew through the air, splashing the wok with savoury-sweetness sizzles. A total of six swishing ladles after, Toh commenced what I can only depict as his double-handed-clanging-ladle-noodle-toss. Said noodle toss also involved nifty footwork and some hip swivelling action, like Ip Man meets Elvis in a choreographed wok and roll.
The vertical toss was succeeded by his one-handed stir – energetic, round motions from his spade ladle, which also gave off resounding clangs. Thereafter, a massive wooden lid came crashing down over the wok.
Toh pointed out that this was an essential part of frying good Hokkien mee. The noodles had to be covered so that as they boiled in the stock, they also absorbed all the flavours. As the Hokkien mee simmered away, Mr Toh took the time to clean the handles of his ladles, rearrange his condiments and accept calls (simply more on this piffling quirk later on).
Twenty seconds subsequently, the wooden comprehend was lifted, the noodles vigorously stirred again, then covered a second time. Another 20 seconds later (yes, I timed it), the lid was removed and he gave everything a rapid stir, taking care to scrape all the crusty bits of concentrated flavour from the sides of the wok.
What happened adjacent though, had me scratching my head – he dished out a portion of the fried noodles and saved it on a plate. The remaining noodles in the wok were pushed to one side and then one-half a ladle of garlic was added and fried. A judicious flick of his secret seasoning sauce, then the noodles got another drenching of prawn stock – a total of nine ladlesful, to be exact.
The contents concluded up looking very soupy at this point. That was when the magic happened. Remember that plate of noodles he reserved? It was added dorsum into the wok, mixed thoroughly and left to bubble abroad. That reserved plate of noodles was drier and I tin only guess that it had the event of cornstarch in gravy – to thicken the Hokkien mee beautifully.
Meanwhile, Toh measured out squid and prawns (two for $4 dine-in portion, three for $5 and four for $half-dozen), which were then tossed for simply a few seconds with the noodles, before being portioned out. The noodles landed tantalisingly with a plop on takeaway wax newspaper or Styrofoam plates to be served with a dollop of sambal. Unbelievably, only half dozen agonising minutes had passed – from the start till the Hokkien mee was finally gear up. Agonising, because with the sight, smell and audio taunting us in the queue, the look felt similar an eternity.
Quick public service announcement: At peak dinnertime, y'all can look to queue for up to an 60 minutes or more than.
That first wok yielded most ten portions of mouthwatering Hokkien mee and by the fourth dimension two rounds of frying were completed, almost every surface was broth-and-noodle-spattered and the glass stall window was obscured by smoke and grease. For this reason, Toh has been known to rock a pair of protective goggles that make him look like a lab tech or a mad scientist. He definitely cut a striking figure from behind his wok, goggles on, distinctive wires hanging from his attached earpieces. Just he wasn't listening to music – he was taking calls from customers who wanted to skip the queue.
Between telephone orders and the ones from queuing customers, I was in awe of how he kept track of every portion going out. This was largely thanks to his stall assistant, who has earned a reputation for being order-taker, gatekeeper and guardian of the stall, all rolled into one. This no-nonsense Auntie kept the queue and the customers in cheque at all times. Be sure y'all know exactly what you desire and exist ready to tell her your order quickly and concisely.
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Together with Toh, they are the yin and yang of this successful stall. She'due south the stern, organised i and he's the cheeky, jovial ane. Both take orders in their ain style – she from customers and he from the personal telephone calls – information technology'southward a organization that works. Deliciously.
Finally tucking into my plate of Hokkien mee, I could taste every bit of skill that went into it. The first thing that hit me was the intense smell and gustatory modality of garlic, followed by a robust seafood flavour that permeated every single noodle strand, thanks to the many liberal splashes of prawn stock. The mix of two noodles gave textural interest – the bee hoon was very tender and the yellow noodles had a trivial more chew.
And then at that place was the wok hei (jiff of the wok), a hint of char that imbued the dish with a wonderful smokiness. I didn't even miss the slivers of pork belly or crispy lard $.25 ordinarily associated with fried Hokkien mee. A gentle undertone of caramalised pork from the liquid lard was simply enough to cuddle the tastebuds. Instead, the pure, briny sense of taste of the sea shone through, complemented past lots of squid, two medium prawns and noodles that were delightfully sloppy and eggy.
Information technology was actually tasty on its ain, but I ultimately discovered what makes this Hokkien mee then very special – the sambal chilli is killer. The deep ruby paste had a peppery sear, with only a hint of sweetness and a deeply savoury flavour from hae bee (stale shrimp) and ikan billis. Mixed with the seafood-rich noodles, the pleasure on the palate increased exponentially the more than I chewed, especially after a clasp of lime for effulgence and balance.
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Toh remained tight-lipped about the ingredients of the sambal, except to say that the additive is bootleg from scratch. I wouldn't be surprised if information technology took every bit many steps and as much time to brand every bit his Hokkien mee. In that location was certainly a stoic pride Toh took in his cooking as he mused, "It takes a lot of work. I accept no i to have over, such a compassion, correct?"
That poignant statement only made me want to order another plate to enjoy while I still could. I looked at the long line of customers patiently waiting backside me. He caught my middle and asked, "Why did you come looking for me? Y'all can find Hokkien mee everywhere." When I told him his noodles came highly recommended past many people, he replied with a twinkle in his eye, "Troublemakers!" A half-joking parting shot, because it means more piece of work for him. Just the inimitable Toh shows no signs of slowing down for his steady stream of grateful Hokkien mee devotees – myself, a new convert, included. And praise the lard for that!
Tiong Bahru Yi Sheng Hokkien Prawn Mee is located at ABC Brickworks Food Centre, 6 Jalan Bukit Merah, #01-xiii, Singapore 150006. It's open Thursdays to Tuesdays, 3pm to x.45pm. Closed on Wednesdays. Take hold of Makan Kakis with Denise Tan every Thursday from 11am on GOLD 905.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/dining/best-local-food-hokkien-prawn-mee-abc-brickworks-259906
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