Man spends 20 years cooking in S'pore, now his S'pore-style Hokkien mee is a hit in Ipoh
Behind a popular Singapore-style fried Hokkien mee stall in Ipoh is a man who spent more than 20 years working in Singapore.
Although Ipoh is better known for local delicacies such as bean sprout chicken, white coffee, and salted chicken, the stall has drawn steady crowds.
A blogger specialising in Ipoh food recently recommended the stall, noting that it is often packed every morning, with waiting times stretching at least half an hour.
When Shin Min Daily News reporters paid a visit to the eatery, they found that it was enjoying brisk business.
A culinary journey shaped in Singapore
The stall's owner, 53-year-old Lian Sun De (transliterated), grew up in Ipoh and began learning to cook at the age of 12.
He told Shin Min that he moved to Singapore at age 29 on a friend's recommendation.
Over the next 21 years, he worked at several food establishments, including a pork offal soup stall, a Teochew restaurant and Peranakan food catering Chilli Api.
It was also in Singapore that Lian met his wife, who later returned to Ipoh to give birth and raise their son while he remained behind to continue working.
In 2017, when their son entered secondary school, Lian decided it was time to return to his family.
Back in Ipoh, he quickly noticed that the city lacked authentic Singapore-style Hokkien mee and an idea took shape.
"When I was working in Singapore, I really loved eating fried Hokkien mee," he said. "I tried so many stalls and gradually developed my own recipe."
Slow start to steady following
Lian said the hallmark of Singapore-style fried Hokkien mee lies in the broth. He prepares it himself the night before opening, simmering it slowly over low heat until dawn, before using it to fry the noodles the next day.
Starting out in Ipoh was not easy. Surrounded by strong local competition, he initially sold only 20 to 30 plates a day.
"After seeing the dish, many people would ask: 'What is this white noodle?'" he recalled.
But Lian persevered. Through word of mouth and sharing on social media, the stall gradually built a following. Today, in just three to four hours of daily operation, he sells close to 100 plates.
Recipe changes made
To suit Ipoh palates, Lian made five adjustments to the original Singapore recipe. While the version in Singapore tends to be slightly sweet, he made his noodles saltier and richer.
"If I made it exactly like how it tastes in Singapore, people here might not be able to accept it," he said, adding that it took time to strike the right balance between authenticity and local preference.
He also offers customers a choice of yellow noodles, lai fun and traditional Ipoh rice noodles.
While he retained ingredients such as prawns, squid and meat, he omitted pork lard — which he said many locals dislike — and bean sprouts, which he felt would overpower the sweetness of the prawn broth. Only chives are used.
"The trick of not adding bean sprouts is something I learned from the owner of one of my favorite fried Hokkien mee stalls back in the day," he said.
Instead of the usual sambal chilli served in Singapore, Lian uses his own homemade belacan chilli. He also offers a spicier version, where the chilli is stir-fried directly with the noodles, catering to Ipoh diners' higher tolerance for spice.
A familiar taste of Singapore
According to Shin Min, the stall has attracted not only locals, but also Ipoh residents who once worked in Singapore, including members of the Indian community.
Wu Qiming (transliterated), 55, who is semi-retired but worked in Singapore during his youth, visits the stall once or twice a week.
"I'm happy to be able to enjoy the Singapore-style fried Hokkien mee here in Ipoh," he said. "The dish is a little different from what I remember in Singapore, especially the chilli, but I can accept it."
For others, like 27-year-old Huang Yongxin (transliterated), it was his first time trying Singapore-style fried Hokkien mee, although he has had Ipoh Hokkien mee before.
"Although they're both fried Hokkien mee, the Ipoh and Singapore versions taste distinctly different," he said.
