Curry mee

Curry mee is a spicy noodle soup closely linked to Malaysian Chinese cooking. It is typically made with yellow egg noodles or rice vermicelli in a coconut-milk curry broth.

History

The dish is associated with the Chinese-influenced cooking of Malaysia, where noodle soups and hawker stalls are a everyday part of local eating. The sources do not allow a precise date or a specific founder to be established for its origin.

Curry mee overlaps with curry laksa, and in parts of Malaysia the two names are used interchangeably. Coconut-based laksa dishes are also found in Singapore, where names, ingredients and methods vary by region.

Over time the recipe adapted to different customers. Versions for Muslim diners leave out pork products in line with halal rules, and some preparations use a thicker, drier gravy.

Culture

In Penang, the capital George Town is the main reference point for the dish, which locals regard as an everyday favourite. Two forms stand out: the bright orange chicken-curry version and the pale, thin white curry mee. A stall in the Ayer Itam area, run for more than seventy years by two sisters, has become a local landmark.

In Ipoh, in Perak state, the dry-style noodles are often topped with cooked chicken, char siu or roast pork. Curry mee has also reached commercial instant noodles and viral social media experiments. In Bandung, Indonesia, the related mie kari includes beef, potatoes and boiled egg, among other ingredients.

Trivia