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KL Hokkien Mee is a must-try dish from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Famous for its dark, rich sauce and chewy noodles, this recipe is made with pork fat for an authentic flavor.
KL Hokkien Mee Recipe
KL Hokkien Mee is a classic dish that truly represents the vibrant food scene in Kuala Lumpur. This popular noodle dish comes with thick, chewy noodles stir-fried with pork, prawn, and a rich dark soy sauce. What sets KL Hokkien Mee apart is its smoky flavor and satisfying texture. It’s often served with crispy pork lard and a spicy sambal on the side, adding an extra layer of taste. If you’re exploring Malaysian cuisine, KL Hokkien Mee is a must-try, offering a delicious taste of Kuala Lumpur’s culinary heritage.
Different Types Of Hokkien Mee
KL Hokkien Mee is different from the Singaporea Hokkien Mee and Penang Hokkien Mee. The KL version is famous for its dark, flavorful sauce. The thick noodles are braised in this rich sauce, giving them a unique, aromatic taste.
Secret Ingredient
The secret to an authentic KL Hokkien Mee is the pork fat, which you should be able to get from your butcher. Pork fat adds an incredible depth of flavor to the dish, making it irresistibly tasty. If pork fat isn’t available, you can use a piece of pork belly with a good layer of fat on top as a substitute.
Sidenote: Pork fat and pork lard are similar but not identical. Pork fat is the raw fat from a pig, while pork lard is fat that has been fried and strained. Lard is often used for its rich flavor. For KL Hokkien Mee, pork lard adds great taste and texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 554 calories per serving.
This recipe is contributed by Karen Low.
Other Popular Street Food Noodles
Here are a few popular Chinese noodles found in Malaysia:
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KL Hokkien Mee
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) pork belly
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Pork Belly Marinade:
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ground white pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Other Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons pork oil , recipe below
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 medium-sized shrimp, shelled, deveined and tails removed
- fish balls, sliced into halves
- 1 cup packed sliced Napa cabbage
- 250 g (8 oz) thick hokkien noodles
- 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste
- 3/4 cup chicken or pork stock
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ground white pepper, to taste
- pork lard/chu yau cha, recipe below
- sambal, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the pork belly by removing the skin and separating the fat from the meat. Slice the meat into 1-cm pieces and mix it with the ingredients in the Pork Belly Marinade. Let it marinate for 30 minutes. While the pork marinates, cook the noodles according to the package instructions, then drain and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until smooth. Set aside.
Making Pork Oil and Pork Lard:
- Dice the pork fat into small cubes or lardons. Heat a wok over medium to high heat. Add the diced pork fat and cook until it turns crispy and golden, rendering the fat into pork lard.
- Remove the crispy pork lard (chu yau cha) from the oil and drain it on paper towels. Once cooled, store the pork lard in an airtight container or jar. Pour the pork oil into a sterilized, airtight glass jar for storage
Making KL Hokkien Mee:
- Heat a wok over high heat and add about 2 tablespoons of pork oil, heating it until it starts to smoke. Add the marinated pork belly and fry quickly, being cautious of the hot, spitting oil. Once the pork is just browned, add the garlic, shrimp, and fish balls, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Toss in the Napa cabbage and cook for another 10 seconds. Finally, add the noodles and give everything a quick toss.
- Add the dark soy sauce and soy sauce to the wok, mixing well to coat the noodles. If the color isn’t dark enough, add more dark soy sauce. Pour in the stock, sprinkle in the sugar and white pepper, and add a small handful of pork lard. Stir-fry to combine everything thoroughly. Taste the sauce and adjust the saltiness and sweetness to your liking.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the wok and toss until the sauce thickens and evenly coats the noodles. Serve the noodles on plates and spoon the gravy over the top. Garnish with additional chu yau cha if desired, along with a spoonful of sambal.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
thank you! good recipe!
thank you! good recipe!
The dark soy sauce you’re using in the seasoning, is that kicap pekat (cooking caramel)? And if so, do you happen to know whether kicap pekat is more or less the same as Thai black soy sauce?
Thanks!
Fred
Yes it’s about the same you can use it.
Made this noodle dish yesterday with the Thai black soy sauce. Included lard oil, crispy lardons and sambal belacan as suggested. We loved it. Added 1/2 tsp Japanese (hon)dashi powder as well, since I read that in earlier days Malaysians added dried Sole powder or dried Flounder powder (not available where I live) to this dish.
Awesome please try more recipes on my site!
Used boiled spaghetti and baby octopus instead. Tasted as good as ah hwa. No sambal belacan required
Hi Bee,
Thanks for the links to Citrus and Candy and Karen Low, and as well for your recipe for K.L, Hokkien Mee.
Adding the “KL” to the title, I feel, is important since food, like spoken language is never really straight forward. It is rife with regional dialects, idioms, slangs, etc. As a professed die-hard foodie and a darn good cook, I have traveled extensively but in regards to Hokkien Mee, I’ve lived in China (Beijing and Guangzhou), southern Thailand, and although I didn’t live in Malaysia, I crossed the northern Malay border enough times to qualify. My best friends in the world, Anne and Simone Skelchy are from K.L., and we’ve eaten at many places (my favorites are in Bukit Bintang and places in Penang…especially the Jaya).
As you undoubtedly know, Hokkien Mee was originally a Fujian Chinese recipe that…evolved. My two friends Annie and Simone and I have had some interesting discussions (and arguments) about Hokkien Mee we’ve eaten at various places, including Malacca (Anne and Simone’s reltives are Portuguese / Chinese).. Many differences! But, my go-to recipe that I’ve experienced in K.L. involves two different kinds of noodles, both egg noodles (similar to soba) and rice noodles, and of course prawns and squid, with Chu yau cha cut into cubes, fried, and sprinkled over the top. But, nobody should dispair since there are many different versions to this dish.
If you will allow Bee, I’d like to make a tiny suggestion. Some people who are not from K.L., have never lived or visited Malaysia or Asia and / or southeast Asia may not understand some things. One that first stood out is the typical use of the word corn flour. The point should be made that a difference does exist and makes a definite difference in the consistency of the final outcome.
I understand what you mean, but others may not (I’m living in New York City now after spending 14 years in southeast Asia) and here in the states, what you guys call corn flour, is actually corn starch. A thickening agent. This is important since true corn starch is made of the endosperm of corn, whereas true corn flour is both the endosperm and gluten of corn. Both can be used as a thickening agent, however, you will need twice the amount of true corn flour in a recipe in comparison to the smaller amount of corn starch for the same effect. So, you can just imagine the semi-disaster this little glitch can create.
The first time I noted this was on Maggie Zhu’s “Ominivore Cookbook’ site. Maggie’s a Chinese cook born and raised in Beijing, but living in Texas now. Her recipes are awesome and simple. But many Asian cooks use the term ‘corn flour’ when they in fact mean what we know to be ‘corn starch’. Just a little tip. Most Americans, like me, are easily confused anyway LOL!
Not long ago I was speaking with a friend at a restaurant in Chinatown in Manhattan and I mentioned fish balls. We were yakking away when a woman from another table who was listening to our conversation leaned over and said, “I’m sorry for eavesdropping, but I’m fascinated with your conversation and want to know…’What is a fish ball?’ ” It was then that I realized you’d have to be shopping at a specialty Asian market to even find one. And if a person had never been to Asia, they wouldn’t know.
There was a time when I would post recipes. I enjoyed it for awhile, but it was on a blog and I gave up trying to answer all the questions of people who were (I’m trying to be nice here…) ‘out of the loop, so-to-speak’. People exist (belive me) who can’t boil water correctly, so you adjust to carefully explaining every minor detail and that takes all the fun out of it. My old friend Anthony Bourdain, may he rest in peace, was in agreement on this.
Thanks again Bee!
Thanks for your comment!
The photos and descriptions of this iconic KL dish make me drool and I have flash backs of loads of memories squatting by the roadside eating kl noodles after working late overtime in the early 1960s when I was working there. It cost only RM1. Often I will indulge on pay day to add a raw egg on top. Of course without the crispy pork lard it is never complete. Slurp!
I love KL Hokkien Mee with the chilli sauce that is usually served with it. Been looking for it. Could you post the Chili recipe?
Oh, yes. I want the Malaysian chili recipe too please?
I like the lighter gravy version better of Hokkien mee. Some cafes cook this way its much too sweet haha, I still like horfun better :) So they use different sauces?
Hi! Just wondering what should be done with the 4 cloves of garlic that is listed in the condiments section. I assume it just goes in before the pork? I scanned through the method many times and couldn’t find anything on it.
Hi Karen, I tried your recipe today and found it to be very salty. May I please check if the use of 4TB dark soy sauce and 2TB light soy sauce in the seasoning is the reason? Would it help if I used thick soy sauce instead of dark soy sauce? Many thanks for your reply.
Hi Bee Yinn I have been following Rasa Malaysia for awhile now. Loved every recipe in it. Can you please add recipe for the sambal that goes with KL Hokkien Mee. So complete with it. Thank you so very much.
Hi Judy, thanks for your suggestion.