Penang Heng Heng Handmade Noodles: One-man show whips up handmade ban mian from $5 at Geylang
Handmade noodles are hard to come. When I came across Penang Heng Heng Handmade Noodles, I knew I had to try it, especially with many stores serving up machine-made noodles nowadays.
The storefront displays a large selection of Penang zi char carbohydrate options— from Shrimp Fried Rice (S$5) and Penang Hokkien Mee (S$6), and even Indonesia Noodles (S$6). Opened just two years ago, the owner is quite a new kid to the block when he started selling authentic Penang eats.
Penang Heng Heng Handmade Noodles is parked in one of the humble coffee shops of Geylang. The stall is self-manned solely by the owner, so he handles the cooking, taking of orders and washing of dishes all on his own.
I went around late noon and I was first drawn to his noodles machine, a vital aspect that caught my eye as it was stationed at the back of the store. It is not often that I come across noodle stores that still make their noodles artisanally, as it comes with a lot of craft and effort.
His menu lists out three main choices of noodles, Mee Hoon Kuey, You Mian, or Ban Mian. Occasionally stuck between making my choice of order, I was literally torn for choice. I just had to add that pun in.
What I tried at Penang Heng Heng Handmade Noodles
Of course, my first order of business were noodles. I opted for the dry Mee Hoon Kuey. The scrumptious bowl of noodles was priced at S$5 and came with generous portions of anchovies, minced meat, fried shallots and pork lard.
As the Instagram addict I am, of course I had to snap pictures of my egg yolk lusciously flowing out onto freshly made noodles. After mixing all the condiments, I first dug in. Pleasantly surprised by the consistency of the noodles, each bite retained a chewy and QQ texture. Its creaminess from the runny egg mixed well with the light sauce and it was quite an addictive eat as I kept reaching out for more.
The small bits of minced meat and pork lard made it very appetising as well, as I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet savoury flavours. The owner really did a good job in estimating the ratio of condiments to noodles for this dish.
Time to add You Mian to my list and for this, I opted for the soup version. Upon first whiff, I noted the homely aroma of the broth. It reminded me of rainy days when I usually enjoy my hot bowl of soup noodles for a little more comfort.
For S$5, the bowl came with a large fraction of noodles accompanied by yet again a lavish amount of condiments. The noodles are thinner as compared to the Mee Hoon Kuey, making it easier slurp them up. The broth is light and flavourful, with additional ingredients like tau kee and spinach as compared to the option before. Soaking up all the essence of the soup, the noodles takes in all the goodness that the broth has to offer, just like a sponge.
Furthermore, hefty amount of anchovies and pork lard in this splendid bowl balances a good amount of sinful and healthy elements, making it a delightful process to relish over my bowl of noodles. A word of advice would be to quickly have a go with their soup noodles though, as the noodles do soak up the soup very fast.
Next dish that I tried was the Salted Fish Fried Rice (S$5). Look at the sheer amount of salted fish! Penang Heng Heng Handmade Noodles seems to be very generous with their portions and ingredients. I added Prawns for an additional S$2, as I was afraid that the salted fish would be too salty for my liking. To my surprise, the main ingredient was not overpoweringly salty and in fact the fish was only lightly salted.
A palatable option for someone who would like to differ away from the conventional would be the Shrimp Fried Rice (S$5). Plated with a list of many garnishes, this colourful dish is stir fried with mixtures of corn, carrots, peas and eggs.
I’ve got to say, the chilli really packs a punch… A lover of chilli myself, I bravely downed a big spoonful onto my rice. It kicks! Let this be a warning to you to eat it in moderation. It does add a nice spice to the fried rice though.
Final thoughts
Not only was I delighted to win such a good find, I was surprised by the abundance in portions for the price of S$5. Super affordable and worth it, it made it even easier to enjoy every element in all the dishes.
If I had to choose a favourite, I would have my pick with the Mee Hoon Kueh. I am always in favour of dry chilli noodles, and this is definitely something that I would opt for on a daily. You’ll see me here again!
Expected damage: S$5 – S$7 per pax
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