Mee siam facts for kids

Mee siam is a yummy noodle dish from Southeast Asia. It's made with thin rice vermicelli noodles. This dish has a special taste that is hot, sweet, and sour all at once!

Mee Siam started in Penang, Malaysia. It is very popular among the Malay and Peranakan people in Malaysia and Singapore. The name "Mee Siam" means "Siamese noodles" in Malay. This suggests the dish might have been inspired by Thai flavors, as Thailand was once known as Siam.

Where Did Mee Siam Come From?

Mee Siam is believed to have started in Penang, Malaysia. This is because Thai cooking styles have greatly influenced the food in Northern Malaysia. Many dishes from Penang use ingredients like tamarind, which gives them a sour taste. Mee Siam is one example of a dish with these Thai influences.

In the early 1800s, many Chinese families from Penang moved to Singapore. They brought their favorite recipes, including Mee Siam, with them. This is how the dish became popular in Singapore too!

Different Kinds of Mee Siam

Mee Siam comes in different styles, especially in Malaysia. You can find a "dry" version and a "wet" version.

Dry Mee Siam

The "dry" version is like stir frying the rice noodles. It uses the same tasty ingredients as the wet version, but without much gravy. This style is quite common in places like Johor.

Wet Mee Siam

The "wet" version has a light, flavorful gravy. In Singapore, this gravy is spicy, sweet, and sour. It's made from a special spice paste called rempah, along with tamarind and salted soybeans (called tauco).

Mee Siam is often eaten for breakfast, brunch, or lunch. It's usually served with yummy side dishes. These can include:

• Fried chicken
• Fried or boiled eggs
• Special sambal (a spicy chili paste)
• Otak-otak (a grilled fish cake)
• Luncheon meat

When served, Mee Siam often has toppings like shredded omelette, green onions, bean sprouts, garlic chives, and a squeeze of lime juice.

Similar Noodle Dishes

Mee Siam has some relatives in other countries!

Mi Kathi in Thailand

In Thailand, there's a very similar dish called Mi Kathi. This means "noodles with coconut milk." It's a popular lunch dish in central Thailand. It tastes a lot like Mee Siam.

Mi Kathi is made by stir-frying rice vermicelli noodles with a thick, fragrant sauce. The sauce uses coconut milk, minced pork, prawns, bean curd, salted soybeans, and tamarind. It's often served with thin egg omelette slices, fresh bean sprouts, fresh garlic, and banana blossom.

Mee Ka Tee in Laos

Another similar noodle dish is found in Laos. It is known as Mee ka tee.

See also

In Spanish: Mee siam para niños