A hawker centre favourite, Hokkien mee is making a comeback in Singapore, according to Dr Leslie Tay, author of the blog ieatishootipost. He also talks about the original guys who first made the dish in Singapore, what it takes to make a good plate of Hokkien mee and what is needed to ensure that hawker food continues to thrive in Singapore.

Leslie Tay and his wife, Lisa, are the people behind the blog ieatishootipost. Together, they cover the latest on the best hawker food, new discoveries, restaurants and recipes in Singapore and during their travels. As a home chef, Leslie enjoys re-creating his favourite hawker and classic dishes on their YouTube channel, coming up with recipes that are tried and tested and are suitable for home cooks. He has written The End of Char Kway Teow and Other Hawker Mysteries (2010) and Only the Best! (2014).

What Leslie Talked About

  • 02:42 – The origins of Hokkien mee
  • 08:52 – Why frying time matters in Hokkien mee
  • 10:46 – The dry and wet styles of Hokkien mee
  • 15:24 – Why young hawkers are selling Hokkien mee but not char kway teow
  • 18:31 – The return of pork lard
  • 20:25 – Key ingredients for Hokkien mee
  • 24:04 – Why Hokkien mee is served on opeh leaf
  • 28:49 – Leslie’s motivations for starting his food blog
  • 38:30 – Turning hawker knowledge into written recipes
  • 40:49 – Leslie’s recommendation on Hokkien mee
  • 42:20 – The future of hawker culture in Singapore
  • 46:54 – Leslie’s favourite hawker dish


Transcript and Resources

  • Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-long-live-hokkien-mee
  • Watch Leslie cook Hokkien mee: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/video-hokkien-mee


Subscribe to BiblioAsia for more stories about Singapore.

This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Leslie for coming on the show.

Produced by the National Library Singapore, the BiblioAsia Podcast tells stories about Singapore history.

Rss
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör National Library, Singapore. Innehållet i podden är skapat av National Library, Singapore och inte av, eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.