I have been hankering for a bowl of bak char mee lately and suddenly realize that I don’t really have a favorite stall that I go back to regularly to get my fix! I know, I know, most people would think that I should know better after writing about hawker food for the last 18 years! But, the sad truth is that “I still haven’t found what I am looking for!“
When I posted my dilemma on Facebook, it quickly attracted almost 500 comments in a short time! Everyone was recommending their go-to Bak Chor Mee stalls. From the responses, I began to realize three things. Firstly, Singaporeans are passionate about this particular dish. Secondly, apart from the undisputed One Michelin Star Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle, there is no Queen of Bak Chor Mee in Singapore! And finally, we don’t even have a clear definition of “Bak Chor Mee” !
First, let me thank everyone who has written in to recommend their favorite Bak Chor Mee stall. However, from the list I compiled, it is clear that some stalls were selling fishball noodles and mee pok tar. I guess there are some stalls which sell mee pok tar with fishballs, fish cakes and minced pork as well. But, I think that “Bak Chor Mee” has evolved to a stage where it should have its own category. Hawkers who are passionate about Bak Chor Mee will lament that some customers still mistake their dish for mee pok tar!
What’s a proper Bak Chor Mee for me
So here are the criteria that I think make for a proper “Bak Chor Mee“:
- Pork should be the main ingredient and they would usually have minced pork, lean pork, and pork liver.
- They should not be offering fishball, fishcakes, prawns, and other seafood ingredients.
- The soup should be pork-based and have lots of pork precipitates floating in the soup
- The signboard may specifically state that they serve “Minced Meat Noodles”.
- Most stalls will also add braised mushrooms to the dish.
- Some stalls might cook the pork-based soup in a separate pot.
Ming Ji’s Bak Chor Mee
Ming Ji is one stall that proudly insists it sells proper ‘Bak Chor Mee.’ Hui Ping’s dad operated Ming Ji for over two decades before he chose to retire 9 years ago. He spent the last six years of his career at Eunos, where he took over the stall vacated by his brother, who operated Seng Kee Bak Chor Mee there.
Hui Ping and her husband decided to resurrect Ming Ji in Dec 2022, which was eight years after her dad closed it! Why? Simply because she missed her dad’s version of the dish. It’s good to see that they are still going strong after a year of (re)opening.
One thing that Ming Ji and Seng Kee have in common is that they will cook the soup in a separate pot when you order your BCM. This isn’t something that happens at every BCM stall and definitely not at the typical mee pok tar stall. Because of this special technique of cooking your soup to order, both stalls also offer a special fish maw soup version which you can order.
Guess what’s missing from this bowl of BCM
BCM fans might notice that there are two items missing in my bowl of BCM. The most obvious is pork liver, but fret not, it’s not shown in the photo only because I still haven’t developed a taste for the particular organ. But, the other missing item is more pertinent. They don’t have pork lard!
Hui Ping tells me that her dad had stopped using pork lard years ago and that was how he had been serving his BCM till he retired. When she decided to resurrect the stall, her vision was to stay true to her father’s version of BCM.
Personally, this would have been an almost ideal bowl of BCM but for the lack of pork lard. The noodles are nicely cooked such that it still has a good bite and I like that the chilli is more savoury than spicy. The minced pork and sliced pork are also nicely seasoned. 4.25/5
Their soup is as good as a BCM soup should be. It is sweet and redolent with porky precipitates!
Conclusion
Fans of Ming Ji should know by now that their favourite BCM stall is back! If you are hankering for a bowl of Bak Chor Mee around the Tai Seng area, this one is well worth checking out. I am still hoping they would start adding pork lard to their BCM!
Another Bak Chor Mee in the vicinity worth trying is Da Sheng Bak Chor Mee.
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