On our foodie road trip from Singapore to Melaka, Malaysia we made our first stop at Bukit China, just outside Malacca town. The word Bukit means hill in Malay, so literally we were stopping at the Chinese Hill, the bottom of which has some food stalls that sell various types of noodles. Pingle had been here before and was returning for the mee rebus, a boiled egg-noodle dish served with a gravy made from curry powder, potatoes, soy beans, dried shrimps and peanuts. Some boiled egg and sprouts were thrown into this version for good measure.
However, to my taste buds, the mee goreng was much better. These are fried noodles that burned my mouth nicely. They're fried up with onion, sprouts, tofu, chili, tomatoes and eggs. A lime is supplied but I didn't add any lime juice to mine. I polished off a few plates of this and then went back to the stall to watch them in the making.
The ingredients look simple enough. The price of 3.00 Malaysian Ringitt cannot be beat - that's around $1 US.
The mee goreng vendor was cracking the eggs into the mix, one of the final stages. Straight from the skillet to the plate, the way all food should be eaten.
We ate cendol for dessert, which happens to be the perfect compliment for the mee goreng spiciness. This version had red beans and starched noodles (greened with Pandan leaf) added to the shaved ice and coconut milk. Cendol is Indonesian in origin but is popular throughout Malaysia and Singapore.
As I sat at the table eating, I noticed some stones in the ground. Pingle's sister was teasing me "You know why it's so cooling here, right? Look around." She was referring to those stones - they were burial headstones. Pingle tells me that some Chinese believe graveyards to be cooler due to the nearby circling of the spirits. Eating in a graveyard - what would my momma think?
If you ever come to Malacca Malaysia, look for Jalan Bukit Cina as it intersects with Laksamana Cheng Ho 3. Across the street, you'll see the stalls.
Hey, this is MC's favorite mee rebus! Then again.. to be fair, we didn't try the mee goreng. In fact, I don't even recall seeing the stall front there the last time we were there.
ReplyDeleteThis mee rebus is different from what you find in Singapore. They add the fried crispy stuffs that makes the dish more appetising overall.
Sorry MC, but the mee goreng takes the cake!!
ReplyDeletewow, that looks like an amazing food tour! I'm jealous that I'm limited to only the options in NYC!
ReplyDelete@Danny - It's been a great trip - you should do it sometime. From Paris to Singapore, Hanoi and Melacca, I cannot complain food-wise. However, there are few places that can rival the food options in the Apple. I haven't been home all summer and I miss bialys, NY cart coffee and American cookies!
ReplyDeleteI love mee goreng. ahh to be a student again traveling and living the good life. lucky!
ReplyDeleteYutjangsah - I only recently discovered mee goreng and I'm a convert, expecially if it's spicy. I've found a place that has it on the menu here in Paris. Do I dare try it? Stay tuned.
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