I fry my own Hokkien Noodle (Tai Lok Meen)

Finding a perfect Hokkien Noodle (Tai Lok Meen) in Penang is like trying to find a perfect Penang Assam Laksa in KL. Tai Lok Meen is what we call over here in Penang and Hokkien Mee is what they call in KL. It is a speciality from the Klang Valley, I believe.

Well, I can never find a stall in Penang that sells this fat noodles that tastes good. Long time ago, there was one very fat guy who used to chew on a toothpick, shoeless (ewwss), and wear a torn singlet who fried the perfect one. His stall was opposite the Lam Wah Ee Hospital in Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim. But I guess inhaling all those lardy smokes must have caused him health problem and he has disappeared.

Whenver I go to Kuala Lumpur, I will sure hunt for this noodle. If I visit my brother in Petaling Jaya, then, there is a better chance of him buying me the nicest one. However, if I hang around the KL city, we would head to Jalan Imbi. This stall cause massive jam along Jalan Imbi at night.

Now, back to my urge for Tai Lok Meen. I decided to DIY. I must say that my version is great. Better than most stalls here in Penang. But first, I have to acquire two things. One is the fat noodles. Only selected supermarkets sell this fat noodles because over here in Penang, our noodles are more yellowish (from the ashwater, thinner and softer). The other thing is the sinfully unhealthy lard pieces. I wouldn’t dare to indulge in this crispy goodness for fear of clogged arteries.

But I am lucky because one of my neighbour is a char koay teow seller and hence, have plenty to give.

Here’s the photo of my version. Trust me, it is VERY hard to get a photo that looks appetising. The challenge is to make the fat noodles less gross and I actually picked out all the stuffs that shouldn’t appear on my photos. I have to use a chopstick and pick pieces by pieces. Then, I have to wipe clean the messy, dark soya sauce. So what is left in this photo are cabbages, noodles, fish fillets and brown squid.

If you are new to MalaysiaBest, know that I will never show parts of the pigs. There is no recipes or pictures containing pork or lard. (though I have plenty of good recipes and photos and planning to do something about them later)

The recipe

600 grams fat noodles (costs only RM1!)

Quarter of a small cabbage, slice thinly

Half a bulb of garlic – chopped

200 grams fish fillets (you can use prawns. I did not use because my son is allergic to prawns)

half a brown squid (the soaked variety)

200 grams meat – slice thinly

Small bowl of water – season with

– black soya sauce – 2 tablespoon

– oyster sauce – 1 teaspoon

– fish sauce – few drops

– pepper

– light soya sauce – to taste, about 3 tablespoon

– pinches of sugar (or MSG 🙂 )

Method:

Fry garlic in some oil till fragrant. Add in all the meat, fish, cabbage and stir for a while. Add noodles and pour in water with the seasonings. Cover and simmer for a while till the noodles are tender. The fat noodles are rather stiff and hard.

**What makes the noodle tastes like what is sold is the lard pieces. (bak ewe phok, chee yau char). I added them with the garlic. Evil and sinful!

Serve this with a nice sambal belacan. Heavenly!