Mee pok facts for kids
 |
|
| Type | Noodle |
|---|---|
| Mee pok | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 面薄 | ||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 麵薄 | ||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Mee pok is a type of Chinese noodle that is flat and yellow. It comes in different thicknesses and widths. This dish started with the Teochew people from China. You can find it often in the Chaoshan region of China and in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. These places have many Teochew Chinese immigrants.
Mee pok is usually served mixed in a special sauce. This is called the "dry" version. Sometimes, it is served in a soup, which is called the "soup" version. Meat and vegetables are often added on top.
There are two main types of Mee pok. One is fish ball mee pok (yu wan mee pok). The other is mushroom minced meat mee pok (bak chor mee). Bak chor mee usually uses thin noodles called "mee kia". Yu wan mee can be made with other types of noodles too.
Mee pok is a very common food in Singapore. You can find it in hawker centres and coffee shops (also known as Kopitiams). It is served alongside other Chinese noodle dishes.
Sometimes, people use "Mee pok" as a short name for the dish. But Mee pok actually refers to the type of noodles, not the whole dish. The dishes are properly called bak chor mee or fish ball noodles.
Contents
The Special Mee Pok Sauce
The sauce mixed with the noodles is very important. It shows how skilled the cook is. Think of it like the sauces that go with pasta.
The sauce has four main parts: chili, oil, vinegar, and other things like soy sauce and pepper. The chili is made from different ingredients. It is often fried and blended. Oil, usually lard, makes the noodles smooth. Sometimes, vegetable oil is used for a healthier option. Vinegar is added for a sour taste. You can ask for more or less vinegar.
For children or those who do not like spicy food, tomato ketchup can be used instead of chili sauce.
Delicious Mee Pok Soup
The soup can be served in a separate bowl with the "dry" noodles. Or, it can be served with the noodles for the "soup" version. In the soup version, the special sauce is not used. Traditionally, the soup is cooked slowly overnight. It is made with old hen, pork bones, dried sole fish, and soybeans. This makes a rich and cloudy broth.
How Mee Pok Noodles Are Made
Most Mee pok noodles are made in factories. They need a lot of preparation before cooking. Different hawkers (food sellers) prepare their noodles in their own ways. But they all want the same result: springy noodles that are firm to the bite, like "al dente" pasta.
Hawkers often toss the noodles strongly. This removes extra flour and soda. It also separates noodles that are stuck together. Other steps include stretching the noodles and cutting them into serving sizes.
To cook the noodles, they are quickly dipped in hot and cold water many times. Some hawkers skip the cold water. After cooking, the noodles are drained. Then, they are put into either the sauce or the broth.
What is Bak Chor Mee?
Bak chor mee (simplified Chinese: 肉脞面; traditional Chinese: 肉脞麵; pinyin: ròucuǒ miàn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bah-chhò-mī) means "minced meat noodles." It is a popular Singaporean noodle dish. You can find it in hawker centers and food courts. The noodles are mixed with vinegar, minced meat, pork slices, pork liver, stewed mushrooms, meatballs, and bits of fried lard.
Bak chor mee comes in two types: a dry version and a soup version. The dry version usually has stewed mushrooms, minced pork, lean pork slices, and sometimes fried ikan bilis (small anchovies). These toppings are put on noodles mixed in a spicy chili-vinegar sauce. The soup version is loved for its rich pork flavor in the broth. Singapore's bak chor mee was once named the top street food in the world by the World Street Food Congress.
Fish Ball Mee Pok
This type of Mee pok usually comes with fish balls and sliced fish cake. It might also have geow (small dumplings made with fish paste and minced meat), minced meat, meatballs, lettuce, or taugeh (bean sprouts). You can choose to add or remove any of these toppings. It can be served in soup or "dry" style, and with or without chili sauce.
Other Toppings You Might Find
Newer toppings for Mee pok include deep-fried dumplings, abalone slices, imitation crab stick, and other processed fish products.
Mee Pok in Pop Culture
- Mee Pok Man is the name of a film. It was directed by Eric Khoo, a film director from Singapore.
- Bak chor mee was shown in an episode of The Mr Brown Show. This show made fun of the James Gomez saga during the 2006 Singapore general elections.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Mee pok para niños
