Mee Siam, or “Siamese noodles”, is popularly known as a Malay dish with two distinct variations: the dry versus the wet. Comprising spicy fried rice vermicelli with various toppings such as shrimp, chicken, fried tofu and shredded omelette with a slice of lime and sambal chilli on the side, one would think that this was originally a Thai dish. However, Thailand has no such dish at all.

Mee Siam is a pure Nyonya specialty served in Malaysia and Singapore. While the Malaysian Mee Siam recipe features stir-fried noodles served dry, the Singapore version is often wet and topped with light, piquant gravy made from tamarind juice and dried shrimp. Both versions are served with fresh calamansi (lime), tiny cubes of fried beancurd, chives and egg. The toppings may vary, but one should not miss the customary dollop of belachan (shrimp-based chilli paste) at the side of the dish.

This dish has been adopted, and adapted by the Indians, Chinese as well as Malays in Singapore, each injecting a unique taste to their versions. The Indian Mee Siam is often pinkish in colour and sweeter as they add more sugar to the gravy, while the Chinese version uses more beancurd and salted fermented soybeans. The Peranakans will add a dash of coconut milk to create Singapore’s most popular version which one can often find in stalls around the island. The combination of sweet, sour and spicy taste makes this Mee Siam dish appealing to many in the region.

Watch the video on http://www.singaporekopitiam.sg/videos to learn the art of cooking this traditional dish.