Mee Siam — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Thin rice vermicelli in a tangy, sweet-spicy tamarind gravy with prawns, hard-boiled egg, tofu puffs, and bean sprouts — a complex Malay-Peranakan noodle dish unique to Singapore.

Ingredients

200g thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon), soaked
150g prawns, peeled
2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
4 tofu puffs (tau pok), halved
100g bean sprouts
Gravy: 3 tbsp tamarind paste, 600ml water, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, salt
Rempah paste: 8 dried chilies soaked, 4 shallots, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp dried shrimp, 1 tbsp belacan, 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Garnish: Chinese chives, calamansi limes, sliced red chili, fried shallots

Instructions

1 Blend dried chilies, shallots, garlic, dried shrimp, and belacan into a rempah paste.
2 Fry the rempah in oil until fragrant and oil separates. Set half aside for the gravy.
3 Stir-fry soaked vermicelli with remaining rempah paste, tossing to coat evenly. Set aside.
4 For the gravy: combine fried rempah with tamarind paste, water, sugar, soy sauce, and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5 Add prawns and tofu puffs to the gravy, cook for 3 minutes.
6 Place vermicelli in bowls, ladle hot gravy over, top with prawns, tofu puffs, halved eggs, bean sprouts, chives, and fried shallots. Serve with calamansi.

Did You Know?

Despite its name suggesting Siamese (Thai) origins, mee siam is not found in Thailand — it is a uniquely Singaporean-Malay creation whose name remains a delicious mystery.