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KL Hokkien Mee is a well-known Malaysian noodle dish from Kuala Lumpur. It features thick Hokkien noodles stir-fried with prawns, pork belly, greens, and aromatics in a sweet and savory dark sauce.
The noodles have a unique smoky flavor. This is created when the ingredients hit the hot steel wok producing that distinct "wok hei" aroma. You can make this dish in a regular pan, but you won't get that same smoky taste.
The “KL” stands for Kuala Lumpur, the homeland of this dish. It was created by Ong Kim Lian, an immigrant from Fujian, China. Now KL Hokkien Mee is iconic dish served at food stalls in Malaysia and hawker centers in Singapore.
Whenever my husband and I travel back to his hometown of Kuala Lumpur, we must have these noodles! I love this dish because it uses humble ingredients, but the flavors are bold.
Why you'll love this recipe:
- Ready in 30-minutes!
- Made in one-pan.
- Family-friendly.
- Restaurant-quality.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Thick Hokkien Noodles: Hokkien noodles can be tricky to find, so you can also substitute with fresh lo mein noodles or udon noodles.
- Pork Belly: or substitute with sliced pork shoulder, chicken thighs, or beef.
- Jumbo Shrimp: or substitute with large shrimp or sliced fish cake.
- Garlic Cloves
- Chinese Cabbage: or substitute with napa cabbage.
- Chinese Broccoli (aka 'Gai Lan'): or substitute with bok choy or yu choy sum.
- Chicken Stock: low sodium
- Neutral Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any low-smoke point oil.
Noodle Sauce
- Sweet Soy Sauce (aka 'Kecap Manis'): or substitute with dark soy sauce mixed with 1 teaspoon of sugar.
- Dark Soy Sauce: or substitute with dark mushroom soy sauce.
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch.
- Water
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online.
Variations
- For a vegetarian version: substitute the pork and shrimp with extra-firm tofu and the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Expert Tips
- Prepare the ingredients in advance as the cooking process is fast!
- Don't over blanch the noodles or they will be soggy when you stir fry them later.
- Don't overcook the shrimp and cook 50% of the way in the initial fry as they will remain in the pan to cook the rest of the other ingredients.
- Don't overcook the noodles. Once the noodles are incorporated with the rest of the ingredients, remove it off the heat source.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make KL Hokkien Mee:
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the noodle sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Blanch and strain noodles: Then bring a large pan filled halfway with water to boil on medium-high heat. Blanch the noodles until loosened, about 20-30 seconds. Then strain the noodles.
- Fry pork belly: Heat vegetable oil in the pan on medium heat. Fry sliced pork belly the fat renders out and they're slightly browned on the edges.
- Fry shrimp: Add garlic and shrimp and cook shrimp halfway through.
- Add noodles and noodle sauce: Increase to medium-high heat. Add noodles and noodle sauce. Toss to coat evenly and there's little sauce left in the base of the pan.
- Add vegetables and stock: Add cabbage, gai-lan and chicken stock. Toss until combined and there's little sauce left in the base of the pan. Remove off heat and enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
- Kl Hokkien Mee will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge, once cooled. To reheat, microwave or reheat on the stovetop until hot throughout.
- I don't recommend freezing KL Hokkien Mee as the noodles and vegetables will become soggy.
Pairing Suggestions
KL Hokkien Mee serves well with:
- starters like Malaysian Curry Puffs.
- rice dishes like Nasi Goreng.
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Curry Chicken, Curry Chicken Wings, Curry Fried Fish or Curry Tofu.
- condiments like Sambal Oelek.
FAQ
KL Hokkien Mee can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge, once cooled. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
A wok is not required to cook KL Hokkien Mee and you can use a regular large pan. If you own a wok, I recommend using it as it will create a smoky flavor in the dish called "wok hei".
KL Hokkien noodles are not gluten-free as the noodles and the soy sauces contain gluten.
More like this
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy KL Hokkien Mee
Ingredients
- 1 lb Hokkien noodles or fresh lo mein noodles / udon noodles
- ½ lb pork belly sliced into 1-inch wide pieces
- ½ lb jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 cup Chinese cabbage or napa cabbage, chopped
- 1 cup Chinese broccoli chopped into 2-inch long pieces
- ¼ cup chicken stock low-sodium
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Noodle Sauce
- 1.5 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce aka kecap manis
- ½ tablespoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch / tapioca starch
- ½ cup water room temperature / cold
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the noodle sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Then bring a large pan filled halfway with water to boil on medium-high heat. Blanch the noodles until loosened, about 20-30 seconds. Then strain the noodles.
- Heat vegetable oil in the pan on medium heat. Fry sliced pork belly the fat renders out and they're slightly browned on the edges.
- Add garlic and shrimp and cook shrimp halfway through.
- Increase to medium-high heat. Add noodles and noodle sauce. Toss to coat evenly and there's little sauce left in the base of the pan.
- Add cabbage, Chinese broccoli and chicken stock. Toss until combined and there's little sauce left in the base of the pan. Remove off heat and enjoy!
phelicia
can we sub the pork belly with mince pork?
Christie Lai
Yes!
Arik
Quick easy ... yummm.
Eat it with raw green mongkey chillies
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe, Arik and for leaving this kind review!
Richard Storey
Just as I remember it from my time in KL. ate this on every possible occasion. Also, chicken satay skewers.
christieathome
Awesome! Glad it hits the spot! Thanks for making my recipe, Richard!
Sarah
Thanks a mil Christie
Super simple, super tasty
SJ
christieathome
Thank you so much Sarah for the kind review! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and have a lovely day!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
The beautiful combination of the soft noodles and the Hokkien mee sauce would tempt me any day of the week. Yum!!!
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
Mmm those thick noodles! I haven't had Hokkien noodles before, but I'll have to give it a try! I think my boys would devour this 🙂