Noodles bathed in a deeply flavoured, orange-hued broth simmered for hours from prawn heads, shells and pork bones. Served dry or in soup, with a side of sambal and lime. A defining Singapore hawker soup noodle of Hokkien origin.
Prawn mee is a defining Singapore hawker soup noodle of Hokkien origin, where the Hokkiens arrived en masse from the 1820s. Noodles are bathed in a deeply flavoured, orange-hued broth simmered for hours from blended prawn heads, shells and pork bones. Served dry (tossed) or in soup, with whole prawns, pork slices, bean sprouts and water spinach, and a side of sambal and lime. The intense prawn-shell broth is the Singapore signature, distinct from Malaysian or Thai prawn noodles.
A clear, intensely prawn-flavoured, orange broth with a deep shellfish sweetness, the noodles springy, the whole prawns sweet, the pork tender. Eaten with sambal and lime, it is bright, briny and restorative.
The broth is the heart: prawn heads and shells are blended (or pounded) and fried to release their oils, then simmered with pork bones for hours, which extracts the deep orange colour and the intense prawn flavour. The pork is cooked in the broth, the prawns blanched briefly to stay sweet. The dry version tosses the noodles in a chilli-ketchup sauce and serves the broth on the side; the soup version pours it over.
Variations
A dry version tosses the noodles in sauce. Some add pork ribs.
On the Palate
Where Prawn Mee Singapore sits in the Singaporean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
6 steps · 30 min
- 18 min
Blend 300g prawn heads and shells with a little water; fry in 2 tbsp oil 5 minutes until intensely orange and fragrant.
Watch outFry the blended prawn shells until deep orange and intensely fragrant — this is where the broth's color and prawn flavor are born; underfry and it's watery.
- 230 min
Add 1.2 litres water, 300g pork bones and 1 tsp salt; simmer 1 hour; strain to yield 700ml orange broth.
- 35 min
Cook 200g pork slices in the broth 10 minutes; remove.
- 43 min
Blanch 8 whole prawns in the broth 2 minutes; remove.
Watch outBlanch the whole prawns just 2 minutes — leave them in and they overcook rubbery and lose their sweetness.
- 55 min
Blanch 400g yellow noodles or bee hoon; divide into bowls (dry: toss with chilli-ketchup first).
- 64 min
Pour hot broth over (or serve on the side for dry); top with prawns, pork slices, bean sprouts and water spinach; serve with sambal and lime.
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