Types of Noodles Used in Singapore Noodle Dishes

In Singapore, there are many types of noodle dishes, but most of them are based on a few noodle types.

The concept is a bit like pasta. The same dough is used, but made into different shapes. In the case of the noodles used in Singapore, in addition to the shapes, the actual ingredients used to make the noodles can vary.

Here are some of the most common types of noodles you can find in Singaporean noodle dishes.

Mee Kia - Thin Noodles
This is your run-of-the-mill, basic thin noodle type.

The shape is a thin round like spaghetti. However, it is thinner than spaghetti, and just slight thicker than angle hair.

It is similar to the thin Japanese ramen, but the Singapore version is slightly more springy in texture. Depending on the noodle factory that produces it, there can still be slight variations.

Mee Kia goes very well with noodle dishes that utilizes thick sauces, as it allows the sauce to cling to the noodle very easily.

Often Used in - Minced Meat Noodles, Fishball Noodles, Wonton Noodles, Duck Noodles, Soy Chicken Noodles, Yong Tau Foo

Mee Pok - Flat Noodles
This is the flat version of Mee Kia and is as popular as its thin cousin.

Used very often in fishball noodles, and is especially tasty in dry noodle dishes.

Often Used in - Minced Meat Noodles, Fishball Noodles, Wonton Noodles, Yong Tau Foo

Thick Yellow Noodles
Another popular noodle type, this is a thick oily noodle that is very soft after being cooked. It doesn't have much of a springy texture, but is very versatile, being used in many different types of noodle dishes.

Often Used in - Fishball Noodles, Hokkien Mee, Yong Tau Foo, Fried Kway Teow, Duck Noodles, Mee Goreng, Mee Rebus, Mee Soto

Kway Teow - Flat Rice Noodles
Kway Teow is a stalwart in Asian cooking, and quite naturally, features a lot in Singaporean noodle dishes.

Kway Teow is made from rice flour, and is typically white in colour before it's cooked. The texture is very similar to the famous Thai street dish, Phad Thai. In fact, I believe they are essentially the same thing; simply different shape

It is sometimes referred to as Hor Fun as well.

Kway Teow is the predominant ingredient in one of Singapore's most famous dish, the Fried Kway Teow. Apart from that, it's used more often as a soup noodle dishes.

Often Used in - Minced Meat Noodles, Fishball Noodles, Yong Tau Foo, Fried Kway Teow, Fish Hor Fun, Shredded Chicken Hor Fun

Bee Hoon - Thin Rice Noodles
These are super thin rice noodles that are made of the same rice flour as Kway Teow.

Both fried and soup versions are popular. The simple fried bee hoon is a very popular breakfast dish.

Often Used in - Minced Meat Noodles, Fishball Noodles, Yong Tau Foo, Hokkien Mee, Fish Soup, Bee Hoon Goreng, Mee Siam

Thick Bee Hoon
As the name implies, this is the thicker version of Bee Hoon.

It is the most popular carb for Fish Soup and the Singapore institutional dish, the Katong Laksa.

Often Used in - Fish Soup, Laksa, Hokkien Mee, Yong Tau Foo

Bee Tai Mak
Also known as "rat's tail noodle", it's made of rice flour, but are chopped up into strips resembling... rat's tails.

I know that sounds gross, but taste wise it's no different from Kway Teow.

This type of noodle is not as popular as the other types of noodles, but most stalls will always keep a small batch of that around.

It's mostly used for soup noodles. A fried version exists and usually serves as an alternative to breakfast bee hoon.

Often Used in - Minced Meat Noodles, Fishball Noodles, Laksa, Yong Tau Foo

Fishball Noodles

Introduction
The humble Fishball Noodles is a lunch and dinner staple of the Little Red Dot. In fact, many fishball noodle shops start selling from breakfast time, which is my favourite time to have this simple dish.

As far as I know, the Teochew Chinese were the originators of this dish. I suspect the immigrants either brought this from China, or re-invented the dish when they arrived in Singapore.

The Singaporean fishball is a springy ball made from a mixture of salt, flour and fish meat. Usually made from very fresh fish, it has a smooth, springy texture, is white in colour and of the size that is slightly smaller than a ping pong ball.

Thus, the fishball noodle, as the name implies, is simply a bowl of noodles served with fishballs.  The dish is served either dry or in soup. You get to also decide on the sauce and noodle type.

Preparation
For sauce, the usual choices are with chili, with tomato sauce or just tossed with oil (ask for "white", ie cooked without other condiments). Some varieties are served with black soy sauce (quite rare) and gives you the options to add black vinegar.

For noodles, the choices are quite varied as well. In fact, this is a big feature in all Singaporean noodle shops; you always have a choice of types of noodles. I'll probably talk about that in a separate blog, but generally, for fishball noodles, we can go for Mee Kia, Mee Pok, Kuay Teow and Bee Tai Mak.

In a sense, the noodle stalls in Singapore is very much like ramen stalls in Japan; there is actually a lot of variety around the standard ingredients. Every Singaporean grew up eating one type or the other, and therefore you will have fans for each kind. Some like the noodles cooked through, while others like them al dente. Some like to add beansprouts, while others have it with lettuce. I've seen very oily tossed noodles and also very watery ones, all with their fan base.

Personal Thoughts
My personal favourite is the dry "white" version, served with Mee Pok, tossed with pork lard, shallots, minced meat and fish cake slices. I don't think I'm in the majority though, as most Singaporeans prefer to have them with chili or with tomato sauce.

To me, fishball noodles is the ultimate comfort food. I grew up eating the dry "white" version, having it almost every week. It's one of cheaper "proper" meal options you can find in hawker centres in Singapore, and depending on how you order it (eg. in soup, or dry with no oil in the sauce) it can be a very healthy dish.

A good bowl of fishball noodles centres, quite naturally, around the fishball.  It should not have the stingy, fishy smell, and should be able to mix well with the sauce. Some patrons actually like their fishballs to have a a slightly fishy taste. To them, that's the taste of the ocean! Either way, the taste of the fishball should be pleasant and not overpowering.

The rest of bowl, then, revolves around how the noodles pairs with the sauce. Given the wide variety of sauces, there is no single "best" taste. But needless to say, a popular noodle stall would get this pairing just nice, which in turn complements the fishball.

A lot of times, as with dishes the world over, the secret is in the sauce. A lot of veteran fishball noodles chefs put in a lot of effort into perfecting the sauce mix. This includes making their very old chili paste used in the noodles A good sauce mix can make all the difference in the taste of the entire dish.

Singapore Food... Explained

I love food.

I love Singapore food.

You would be able to tell this by looking at my waistline. I'm not proud of the fact that I eat more calories than I can burn, but man, Singapore food is glorious.

For the uninitiated, the choice of food available in Singapore can be downright daunting. Knowing more about them is a logical step towards make good (taste-wise) food choices. To me, it's a way to celebrate this precious culinary treasure.

So here we go!