Mee siam is a dish of thin
rice vermicelli
Rice vermicelli is a thin form of noodle. It is sometimes referred to as 'rice noodles' or 'rice sticks', but should not be confused with cellophane noodles, a different Asian type of vermicelli made from mung bean starch or rice starch rathe ...
of hot, sweet and sour flavours, originated in Penang but popular among the
Malay and
Peranakan
The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, ...
communities throughout
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
and
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, although the dish is called "Siamese noodle" in
Malay and thus appears to be inspired or adapted from Thai flavours when Thailand was formerly known as Siam. Mee siam is related to kerabu bee hoon although there is a significant difference in the recipe.
History
According to
Wendy Hutton, due to the Thai influence on Northern Malaysian cuisine, it is believed that the dish originates from Penang, where Thai influences on Malay and Peranakan dishes are common.
Dishes from Penang possess Thai influences, such as more liberal use of tamarind and other sour ingredients including dishes like mee siam and asam laksa.
As Singapore was established in the early 1800s, many straits Chinese families from Penang moved to Singapore, thus introducing the dish to Singapore.
Variation
There are many known variants of Mee Siam in Malaysia such as the dry-fried version in Johor, the wet version in Malacca, as well as other places like Kuala Lumpur, Mersing, Kedah and Perlis.
The "dry" version is more commonly found, which is essentially
stir frying the rice noodles with the same ingredients used in the wet version. Mee Siam is a common dish as breakfast, brunch or lunch in Malaysia. They are usually served along any of the followings sides: Malaysia's fried chicken, fried or boiled egg, speciality sambal,
otak-otak
''Otak-otak'' (lit. brains in Malay and Indonesian) is a Southeast Asian fish cake made of ground fish mixed with spices and wrapped in leaf parcels. ''Otak-otak'' is traditionally served steamed or grilled, encased within the leaf parcel it ...
(grilled fish cake made of groundfish meat mixed with tapioca starch and spices), and luncheon meat.
In Singapore, it is served with spicy, sweet and sour light gravy. The gravy is made from a
rempah
Bumbu is the Indonesian word for a blend of spices and for pastes made from these blends, and it commonly appears in the names of spice mixtures, sauces and seasoning pastes. The official Indonesian language dictionary describes ''bumbu'' as ...
spice paste, tamarind and tauco (salted soybean). Mee Siam is typically garnished with a shredded omelette, scallions, bean sprouts, garlic chives, and lime wedges. A "dry" version is sometimes more commonly found, which is essentially
stir frying the rice noodles with the same ingredients.
Similar dish
In Thailand, a very similar dish is known as ''Mi Kathi'' (noodles with coconut milk), a noodle dish that is popularly eaten as lunch in the Central Region. It is made by stir-frying rice vermicelli noodles with a fragrant and thick sauce that has a similar taste profile as Mee Siam.
The sauce is made from coconut milk mixed with minced pork, prawns, firm bean curd, salted soybean, bean sprouts, garlic chives, and tamarind. It is served with thinly sliced egg omelette, fresh bean sprouts, fresh garlic and banana blossom.
Similar noodles in
Laos is known as
Mee ka tee
''Mee ka tee'' ( lo, ໝີ່ກະທິ), also known as ''mee ka tee Lao'', ''mee ka tee Vientiane'', ''Laotian pork curry noodle soup'', ''mee kati'', ''mee kathi'' or ''mee gati'', is a Laotian red curry and coconut milk egg drop noodle s ...
.
See also
*
Malay cuisine
Malay cuisine is the traditional food of the ethnic Malays of Southeast Asia, residing in modern-day Malaysia, Indonesia (parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan), Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand and the Philippines (mostly southern) as well as ...
*
Peranakan cuisine
Peranakan cuisine or Nyonya cuisine comes from the Peranakans, descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore and Indonesia, inter-marrying with local Malays. In Baba Malay, a female Peranakan is known as a ...
References
Bibliography
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{{Singaporean cuisine
Malaysian noodle dishes
Singaporean noodle dishes
Fried noodles
Mixed noodles