Type of Noodles in Malaysia

I don't know about other parts of the world as well as I know my own country, but if you are looking for a place with a huge variety of noodles, it has got to be Malaysia. Basically, the staple food in Malaysia is rice and to many, noodles as well. Of course, we also have some occasional 'traitors' who swear by McDonald's ,Kentucky Fried Chicken,Pizza Hut,Burger King,Domino Pizza,or other form of international cuisine. However, if you're Malaysian, there is no way you can escape the delicious "melting pot"?

So what do you do if the thought of rice turns you off? Turn to noodles :) . You can get a dozen different types of noodles in this country (and more). From the variety of noodles available, you can again get more than a dozen recipes with amazing effect. Here's a little guide on noodles and what you can make out of it!

Bee Hoon

Bee Hoon

This type of noodle is also known as rice noodles and is like vermicelli. It is best served with soup. Throw in some shredded meat or fishballs for added taste. Bee Hoon is yummy with a dash of cili padi (chilies) in soy sauce. Alternatively, opt for the dry version of this noodle that is mixed with dark soy sauce and shredded meat.

Kuey Teow

Kuey Teow

Kuey Teow is a type of flat noodles that is comparable to the Italian tagliatelle. It has a white colored texture and is quite smooth and slippery. Any novice with the chopsticks might have problems picking up the noodles. Kuey Teow is another Malaysian favorite noodle as it can be used to make a variety of dishes.
The most common way kuey teow noodle is used is in one of Malaysia's most popular dish, "Char Kuey Teow"."Char Kuey Teow" is made from the noodle combined with prawns, Chinese sausage, fishcake, egg, vegetable, chilies and cockles. The whole combination is then fried in high heat until it turns really aromatic. Just the mere smell from the wok can make you drool. Besides frying the noodles, keuy teow can also be used in soup-based noodles just like how you would with Bee Hoon as mentioned above.
"Sar Hor Fun" is another way to prepare the hor fun noodles. This is a specialty in Ipoh Town and is best served with chicken stock soup, prawns, fried shallots and bean sprouts.Hmm...yumm yumm :)

Foochow Noodles
Foochow noodles are not so common although the few places that serve them have very good ones. It is generally recommended to eat these type of noodles steamed and served with soy and oyster sauce. Add in a sprinkle of spring onions and dried fish for effect! I also know of another place that serves what they call the "Foochow Red Wine Noodles". The restaurant is located in Jalan Yew, Kuala Lumpur and the proprietor can whip up a delicious bowl of red wine noodles in a jiffy. This noodle is also known as "Tai Ping" noodles. As the name suggest, the noodles are red in color but contain no artificial ingredients.

Yellow Noodles (Mee)

Yellow Noodle

"Tai Look Min"

This is the fun part.Different people name it differently. If roughly translated from the Chinese language to English, you have a variety of names. Some calls it the "big fat noodles" (tai look min), some calls it "yellow mee" whilst there are some that calls it "fat mee". Why the names?
Basically, this is the usual round yellow noodle that looks like spaghetti (fatter though) and is made from wheat flour. It has a smooth texture and is best used for Hokkien Fried Mee.
Hokkien Fried Mee is really delicious and is fried with pieces of pork, prawn and vegetables. Eat it with some chili paste for the oooomph effect! A word of advice though! The Hokkien Fried Mee is not for everyone. Health-conscious folks should stay away from it as most chefs normally add in a spoonful of pork rind for that "smooth, oily (and guilty)" feel.
Mee goreng (Indian fried noodle) is another form of yellow noodles but is much thinner than the big fat ones. It is almost always used by the Indians to make the famous mee goreng. The dish is fried with chilies, vegetables, egg, onion, fried beancurd and slices of tomato. It is normally quite oily but delicious all the same.

Laksa Noodles

Laksa Noodle

Laksa noodle is a type of thick rice noodles that is opaque in color and slightly rough in texture. It can be made into a variety of laksa-based dishes including curry laksa, assam laksa, Sarawak laksa and lots more. It is a very famous dish in Malaysia and the curry laksa is served with bean sprouts, fishcakes, and prawns in a spicy coconut soup. Some add in slices of hardboiled egg as well.
Assam laksa is a must-try. Made from a thick rich fish broth, shredded cucumber, assam and onion, the assam laksa has a distinctive tangy and sourish taste that is absolutely heavenly! You have got to try the rest of the laksa dishes available.

Wan Tan Mee

"Wan Tan Mee"

Another type of "Wan Tan Mee"

They are 2 type where it is differentiate by the width of the noodle."Wan Tan Mee" is another common meal in Malaysia. Many people enjoy it for breakfast. A light meal, "wan tan mee" is made with roast pork, the "wan tan" noodles, and vegetables. The dry version comes with a bowl of light soup with dumplings. The soup-based "wan tan mee" has the dumplings along with your bowl of noodles.

Loh Shue Fan
This is another of another favourite noodle. "Loh shue fan" got its name from its shape, which resembles that of a rat's tail. It is clear white in color and has a slippery texture. "Loh Shue Fan" is very yummy and can be used in a variety of ways including eating it 'wet' with chicken stock soup (just like you would with bee hoon) or 'dry' with shredded pork/meat. "Loh Shue Fan" is also delicious when cooked in a claypot. Cook it with shredded meat and dark soy sauce, and top it off with an uncooked egg. Mixed all of that together while the claypot is still steaming hot and you'll be in gourmet heaven!

Pan Mee

Pan Mee

"Pan mee" is a type of noodle that is handmade from kneaded flour. You can have the "pan mee" in dry or wet versions as well. The dry version is a favourite and is mixed with dark soy sauce, fried anchovies, vegetables, shredded meat, and Chinese mushroom. There are two ways of 'processing' this type of noodle. Firstly, the chef can break the knead dough into bite size by pulling at it and dropping it into hot boiling water. Alternatively, he can also use a noodle processor to slice the noodles into thin strips.

Hakka Mee

Hakka Mee

"Hakka mee" is flat and yellow in colour. It normally serves the noodles with shredded chicken meat, braised pork with wood ear mushroom and dumplings. It is superb!

Yee Mee
This is another form of noodle that is famously cooked and served in a claypot. Alternatively, it can be fried to a crunchy serving with thick egg gravy poured over it. This egg noodle is absolutely delicious and can be found all over Kuala Lumpur.

Vermicelli

Vermicelli

Also known as "mee suah" (flour vermicelli), which is basically a type of noodles served dry and crispy.It also serves in the soup base.


Aside from all I've mentioned above, there are still a lot more noodles that I am not particularly fond of but let's not judge it based on my likes or dislikes. You may want to check out the "kang puan mee", which is a specialty in the town of Sibu. It is a type of noodles cooked in lard (!!!).
Then there is the Seremban noodle. It is a unique form of noodles that can only be obtained in Seremban town, although many are imitating it in Kuala Lumpur as well.
So, if you're in Malaysia any time soon and can't exactly figure out what you want to eat, you may want to try out the many types of noodles available. If the Italians have their spaghetti and fettuccini, then we Malaysians have our mee and bee hoon! Bon appetit!