Some like it broad – Wanta Mee
You’ve heard much about the wantan mee. But there is a variant of this popular noodle dish which oringinated from Shouthern China, made famous by Hong Kong chefs called chou-meen (broad noodles).
While most noodle connosisseurs may be divided on which is the better version, I strongly recommend wantan mee lovers to try chou-meen for a really filling meal at a stall, coffeeshop or hawker centre.
Although the yow-meen (fine noodles) outsells the chou-meen at any given day, savouring the broad noodles is truly a unique experience.
This particular variant of the wantan noodle is also prepared as a kwon-lou (with dry dark soya sauce gravy) or chee-suay (soup) dish. And like the ordinary wantan noodles, the serving is always generous.
A meal costs between RM3.50 and RM5050 depending on the amount of noodles called tan-chor (single serving) or mar-meen (double helping).
The standard garnishing is char siew (caramelised roast pork), chopped spring onions and choy sum. If you order the dry variant, you’ll get a small bowl of wantan in soup. I recommend chee-suay chou-meen or broad noodles in soup.
Like the fine wantan noodles, customers do have the choice to customise their orders with siew yuk (roast pork), siew ngap (roast duck) and siew phai kuat (roast spare ribs).
Broad noodles are also used in curry laksa dishes which can be found in small towns and kampung coffeeshops throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
Broad noodles are also used in curry laksa dishes which can be found in small towns and kampung coffeeshops throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
Top five recommendations for chow wantan meen
Petaling jaya
1 corner coffeeshop opposite UOB Bank near Menara MPPJ, New Town. This place needs no recommendation for dishing out the most electrifying wantan noodles ever! Check out the pork ribs broad noodles which came highly recommended.
Kuala Lumpur
2 Meng Shiang coffeeshop at Taman Cheras. It’ll be tricky finding this stall run by a husband and wife team. Customers queue up from as early as 11am for takeaway. Highly recommended, is the kwon lou wantan charsiew chou-meen.
2 Meng Shiang coffeeshop at Taman Cheras. It’ll be tricky finding this stall run by a husband and wife team. Customers queue up from as early as 11am for takeaway. Highly recommended, is the kwon lou wantan charsiew chou-meen.
Malacca
3 Coffeeshop next to Bunga Raya food court at Jalan Bunga Raya. Down south, people like their wantan noodles hot and spicy and this place lives up to its name for serving a good tasting and generous portion of wantan noodles.
3 Coffeeshop next to Bunga Raya food court at Jalan Bunga Raya. Down south, people like their wantan noodles hot and spicy and this place lives up to its name for serving a good tasting and generous portion of wantan noodles.
Johor
4 Comer stall at Taman Ser Tebrau, johor Baru. This place is located at the last block adjacent to the shell petrol station. You can see the owner doing his noodle acrobatics but city dwellers here prefer fine noodles.
4 Comer stall at Taman Ser Tebrau, johor Baru. This place is located at the last block adjacent to the shell petrol station. You can see the owner doing his noodle acrobatics but city dwellers here prefer fine noodles.
Perak
5 Pun Chun coffeeshop in Bidor town. Broad noodles a la wantan and a concoction of killer pickled green chilli pepers makes this place a must if you decide to head North. Noteworthy is the awesome prawn wantan and if you love ngap thui meen or duck thigh noodles, this is the place to be.
5 Pun Chun coffeeshop in Bidor town. Broad noodles a la wantan and a concoction of killer pickled green chilli pepers makes this place a must if you decide to head North. Noteworthy is the awesome prawn wantan and if you love ngap thui meen or duck thigh noodles, this is the place to be.