Bak Chor Mee

This is a classic Singapore dish of noodles with meat topping(s). As with all noodles and meat combinations, it's comfort food at its best. My sister tells me when she is away from SE Asia, this is the dish she craves the most.

Originally sold by Teochew street vendors, this is widely available in food courts/hawker centers. It's far too humble to serve in a restaurant though some hawker versions now offer deluxe toppings like abalone.

For some reason, not many people make this at home, even though it couldn't be easier. When people do try to make this at home, the sauce for the noodles often comes out different (much of this is due to misinformation!). Indeed even commercial cooks sometimes get the sauce wrong, especially if you order this dish in Chinatowns in the West.

The dish has 3 components that one must pay attention to: the sauce, the noodles and the toppings. This recipe is per bowl/serving, so prep more bowls to get make more servings.

The sauce:

Start by making the sauce first. In a good size bowl mix 2 teaspoons each of dark soy sauce, Ching kiang (or balsamic) vinegar, regular soy sauce or fish sauce, ketchup (yup this is the secret ingredient!) and chili sauce if desired (Sriracha works well!).

Do not use oyster sauce or sesame oil! Many are misinformed and think that these are needed but they will in fact significantly impact the flavor profile adversely!

Traditionally the sauce also contain a light drizzle of fried lard oil. If you have some bacon or better yet dried flounder on hand, you could also crisp up and crumble maybe a teaspoon or so.

Set the bowl aside.


The Noodles:

Get a large pot of water boiling. Season it with a tablespoon of salt.

The traditional noodles used is the Mee Poh ("thin noodles") which is a flat ribbon pasta similar to fettuccine. I have found that the thin Hong Kong Style noodles easily found in grocery stores work well as a substitute. Try to use fresh noodles instead of dried whenever possible! The fresh noodles often come bunched up into individual servings. So use as many as you need.

Cook the noodles to al dente once the water comes to a rolling bowl.

Drain the noodles and set directly into the bowl/s with the sauce. Toss until the noodles are evenly coated and set aside.


The Toppings:

The two key toppings are blanched ground pork (beef or chicken can be substituted) and stewed mushrooms (prep this ahead; fresh Shiitake will make this delectable; use half a tablespoon each of dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and a half cup of chicken broth per carton of mushroom).

Sliced surimi fish cake, fish ball, blanched shrimp and wontons are also often added. If you want to go fancy, by all means added some sliced abalone or top shell.

Since the toppings cook quickly, I usually blanch them in the same boiling water after cooking the noodles and layer them on top of the toss noodles. Most toppings will cook in 3 minutes, so it's ok to make the noodles first and then the toppings.


That's it. Although it seems complicated , the whole process takes only a few minutes. Invest in a good spider utensil to quickly strain the noodles and toppings. Remember make the sauce directly in the serving bowl, cook the noodles and add it into the bowl, and blanch and add the toppings over the noodles.

Enjoy!