Pan Mee @ Hock Thai SS2

What makes a good Pan Mee?

Well, for starters, it needs to be handmade.  It should be rolled into roughly the same shape of balls of dough, left in water, then pinched by hand, and pulled to give you nice soft, chewy noodles.

The chinese lady, at Hock Thai SS2, makes her special hand pulled pan mee, which is also known as Mee Hoon Kwey (to the Hokkiens, and that’s what my grandparents call it) daily, till it’s completely sold out. You know, I am told that Mee hoon kwey is not everybody’s cup of tea. Some find this clear, simple and rustic noodle dish a bit boring and unrefined (because it is hand torn). But I love it. Hearty, aromatic soup with slippery, soft torn dough. Perfect for any time of the day. Better on rainy days!

Anyway the mee hoon kwey dough here is made from flour and water – isn’t it amazing the miracles flour, water and a bit of bicep work can create! The dough is then pinched and pulled to form irregular sized sheets and then cooked in boiling water. You will notice a huge tray of dough at the side – The mee hoon kwey dough is prepared early in the morning, pinched, rolled and left as small balls in water.

soak em baby…

Once you order your bowl of pan mee, she removed the balls of soaked dough, pull and cook it for you, to make a fresh bowl each time. The soaking in water makes the noodles soft and fluffy with a delicious silken texture. The lady cooks it al dente which is just perfect. If you like your pan mee extra chewy, then the soaking in water style might not suit you, because this softens the dough.

pulled by hand, dunked in boiling water, for a minute or so.. 

stir it well and extract…

I find any well made, dry version, that is generously topped with minced meat, sliced Chinese mushrooms, deep fried anchovies (super crispy), sweet potato leaves (sayur manis) and garnished with deep fried shallots, hard to resist. I like the fact that this Pan Mee sauce is not black and heavy, and completely obliterates all subtle flavours in its wake.

minced meat and mushrooms

foreign help cleaning the anchovies

The Pan Mee noodles are tossed in a light brown sauce and you can still taste all the ingredients in the bowl.  The chili sauce here is spicy, but not as spicy as the sambal served at the Big Tree Pan mee in Sungai Way.

unfortunately they ran out of sayur manis.. would have been much better with the sweet potato leaves

Pan mee is all about the texture.. 

If you are a fan of hand pulled Pan Mee, then this place should rock your boat !