First, there was tonkotsu-style prawn mee soup and a halal version that uses stingray bones, now here comes another novel (and spicy) take on traditional prawn noodles. 165 Pork Rib Prawn Noodles offers mala prawn kolo mee on top of regular hae mee, as well as sides like prawn roll and ngoh hiang. The broth here is pork-forward, which hawker Alan Woo, 35, describes as “a cross between herbal bak kut teh and prawn mee soup”. The two-month-old stall is located in a Bukit Merah Central coffee shop. 

 

Second attempt at hawker trade after $60K loss at previous stall

Before becoming a hawker, Alan was a regular in the navy for seven years. He left the service in 2014 as he “felt stagnant and wanted to try other things”. Shortly after, he completed a sports science degree from private institution PSB Academy as well as a certificate in culinary arts from At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy.

The stall is Alan’s second attempt at the hawker trade, having operated a Western kopitiam stall in Bishan for about a year. In 2017, he closed the joint due to poor business and incurred a loss of “around $60K”. 

Burnt out from the experience, he took a hiatus from the food biz by taking on flexible gigs like becoming a Grab driver and a deck cadet (someone who helps with the daily operations onboard a ship) at a maritime company as well as a CISCO officer assisting with contact tracing.

Started with two partners, now runs biz alone

Alan decided to restart his hawker career after a friend told him that the Bukit Merah kopitiam stall was available for lease. “I’m still passionate about food and wanted to give it another try,” he shares. Learning from his experience, the hawker cut down on his setup cost for the new stall. “A lot of things went wrong the first time. My margins were very small as I sold very big portions [of Western food]. I didn’t know how to adjust my costing. I just kept buying new stuff, I didn’t know that you can get cheaper second-hand equipment, for example.”

He started 165 Pork Rib Prawn Noodles in late March with two friends from his CISCO stint. By early May however, contrary to what Alan told 8days.sg in an earlier version of this article (he admits there was miscommunication on his part), the partnership was terminated amicably due to differences in expectations for the business. Alan bought over their stake about a month ago — the trio invested around $20K into the stall.

“Now that the business is slowly picking up again, I want to focus on growing it.” He cooks at the stall daily, with a full-time helper. On a busy day, the stall sells about 250 bowls. Customers are mostly residents from the nearby estates.

Why mala kolo prawn mee?

“I knew I needed something special to attract customers,” he says. On a whim, the experimental hawker took inspiration from Sarawak kolo mee, hae mee and mala to develop his signature dish. “We tried everything together, with the soup and everyone said it was good. Actually I cannot eat mala – I will sweat a lot when I’m eating it – but I enjoy the taste.”

The mildly spicy noodles are served with a rich prawn mee soup. The broth is based on a recipe from Alan’s late mother, who was an avid home cook. He boils pork bone, prawn heads, shallots and “secret herbs” for three hours to yield a dark, full-bodied soup that is peppery and pork-forward. “I’ve always found [her soup] quite unique as she uses different spices from the usual prawn mee soup, so I decided to adapt it for my stall.”

Prawn Noodle Soup, $4.50 small; $6.50 large

While it doesn’t exactly taste like herbal bak kut teh (it does not have the distinct taste of herbs like angelica root), the broth does have a heady spiciness that resembles the boldness of the former. Though robust and full-bodied, the soup contains the requisite umami undertone of hae mee thanks to a hint of prawny sweetness. It’s also not too salty, so you can easily finish the broth with your noodles. Our cheapest prawn-only version comes with chewy yellow mee, fresh sea prawns with thin shells and sweet, firm flesh, lean pork, fish cake and a yummy helping of house-fried shallots and pork lard.

Mala Prawn with Pork Ribs Kolo Noodle Dry, $8 small; $11 large (8 DAYS Pick!)

Kolo mee is a signature dish from Sarawak that features dry-tossed noodles served with simple toppings like minced pork and char siew. Its main appeal is the chewy texture of the thin, curly egg noodles, which is more springy than wonton mee.

Alan’s version swaps Sarawak kolo mee’s lighter, soy and lard gravy for a punchier house-made mala sauce that’s been reined in to please milder palates. Toppings are also more lavish here – with pork ribs being the highlight. The braised meat is tender and the hefty portion makes it a delight to bite into. Served with a hearty prawn noodle soup, this is a tantalising, flavourful take on the dish.

Though slightly expensive for kopitiam fare (mainly due to the higher cost of kolo noodles from a supplier), we found the quality of the pork rib, mala seasoning and deeply flavourful soup good enough to justify its cost.

Prawn Roll, $2 for three pcs

These prawn rolls from a supplier are crunchy and savoury, though the stuffing is nothing to shout about. Order these if you fancy a crispy snack to enjoy with your noodles.

Bottom line

The unusual pork-forward broth with subtle spice notes is worth a try, especially if you enjoy rich prawn noodle soup. Meanwhile, the inventive mala kolo noodles is a punchy, tasty take on dry hae mee thanks to its fragrant Sichuan twist. Order your noodles with the flavourful, tender pork ribs.

The details

165 Pork Rib Prawn Noodles is at #01-3683, Blk 165, Bukit Merah Central, S150165. Open daily except Sun, 9am - 7.30pm. More info via Facebook. 

Photos: Alvin Teo

All photos cannot be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg