Hup Seng Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle: Is this HKM a worthy “hidden gem”?
This may sound blasphemous, but fried Hokkien prawn mee (or “HKM”, as it’s abbreviated) is not a dish I find myself craving often, if at all. Sure, I do like it, but I don’t regard myself as a connoisseur of the dish. What I do know is that I like the “wet version” greatly over the “dry version”, so when I found out there was a stall in Hougang that sold a solid wet Hokkien mee named Hup Seng Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle, I figured I should give it a try.
According to information on Google, Hup Seng Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle opens at 12pm. When I arrived on the dot, their signage was not lit. I saw the owners prepping for the day, peeling massive amounts of cooked fresh prawns and slicing calamansi. They didn’t appear quite ready yet.
I lingered around the stall for a bit, wondering if I could approach to order. An older gentleman walked up to the counter and the stall owner took his order, so I figured I could do the same.
What I tried at Hup Seng Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle
Hup Seng Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle only sells one dish: Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle (S$5/S$6/S$8/S$10). I was feeling pretty hungry by this point, so I got the S$6 portion. I was asked if I wanted chilli or not, and then given a beeper.
Thus began my wait for a plate of noodles. I was able to watch the stall owners at work from where I sat, and as I saw a big wok-full of noodles being fried and then simmered, I could feel my stomach grumbling in anticipation.
Almost 30 minutes later, I heard the beeper of the gentleman who had ordered before me go off, and he went to the stall to collect 4 plates. Another 5 minutes had passed, and people who had definitely ordered after me got their orders, too. I decided to see what was going on and headed up to the stall.
As I approached, the stall owner asked, “Are you number 3?” It turned out that my beeper’s battery was dead. So much for that.
Technical difficulties aside, I got my plate of Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle. Hup Seng Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle doesn’t use thin bee hoon in their version, which might upset some HKM aficionados. I, on the other hand, am perfectly fine without their presence.
What I did miss, however, was crispy pork lard and some chives, which I felt would’ve really amped things up.
I squeezed the calamansi into the piping hot noodles and mixed it thoroughly. While considered “wet”, the broth was on the thicker side and not soupy. The wok hei isn’t very strong, but it is there. While not an umami bomb, it’s flavourful enough for me.
The chilli here is a kind of sambal made with dried shrimp, and it’s on the more salty side. I found it to be fairly spicy for me, but my spice tolerance isn’t considered high. If you like really spicy sambal, this might not be fiery enough for you.
In the S$6 portion, I counted 3 prawns. Each one was a good size, and very fresh – the flesh was firm with a good bite and sweet. This is definitely a plus.
There were also tiny pieces of squid nestled among the noodles. While very small, they too were fresh and prepared well.
I also found thin slices of tender pork belly. Since they were sliced thinly, they complemented the overall dish much better when eaten together with the noodles. They also didn’t have that weird, chewy texture that you may sometimes experience from thicker slices.
Final thoughts
I found myself enjoying this plate of Hokkien mee more than expected. It was tasty, and while probably not likely the best Hokkien mee around, for the price point, I found the ingredients generous enough (although if the squid pieces were larger, that’d be perfect).
Expected damage: S$5 – S$10 per pax
Order Delivery: Deliveroo
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