Food Picks: Comfort food for rainy days at Hai Xia Handmade Noodle in Hougang

SINGAPORE – If there is a dish worth braving the rain for, it has to be the Speciality Handmade Mee Hoon Kway ($4.50) – the undisputed star dish at Hai Xia Handmade Noodle in Hougang Avenue 8. 

Located in a coffee shop diagonally opposite the famous Sin Heng Kee Porridge in Hougang Street 61, Hai Xia Handmade Noodle is my top choice for rainy-day comfort food, hands down.

I am dreadfully addicted to the slippery chewy texture of the hand-torn noodles, which are a chirpy yellow, thanks to the fresh carrots and eggs added to the dough. It is prepared every morning by stall owner Lu Qiong Xia, who eschews artificial food colouring.

For a more luxurious version, add $1 worth of lala (clams), which lend their briny sweetness to the soup.

The 41-year-old, who is from Anxi County in Fujian province, came to Singapore in 2004. Now a Singapore citizen, her recipe for mee hoon kueh, or hand-torn noodles, is based on her childhood memories of what her Hokkien mother used to cook for her, with a few healthier tweaks of her own. 

The noodle soup is not oily nor cloying, as she uses lean fresh minced pork.

The clear pork broth, packed with sweet meaty flavours, is the result of simmering large pork bones, ikan bilis and soya beans for hours. 

Ms Lu also fries ikan bilis, which are used as a savoury and crispy topping for the noodles.

Also worth the carbs is the Lala Sheng Mian ($5.50), which is not on the menu. Sheng mian are fresh noodles that are similar to yellow noodles, except they look matt when raw, do not have that oily sheen and are made with minimal lye water, which means they do not have that overly strong alkaline taste. 

When cooked, they turn luminously glossy and are splendidly springy.

The generous Ms Lu fills each bowl to the brim with 12 to 15 clams and the addictively tasty soup.

I recommend the soup versions for the noodles here, but for those who prefer the dry version, ask for the Seafood U-Mian Dry ($5.50), which is also an off-menu item.

The savoury dressing is dark soya sauce-based. Ms Lu procures fresh glass prawns from the market every morning, and they are crunchy and sweet. Also in the bowl are crabstick and two slices of toman.

Fans of red glutinous wine lees chicken mee sua can find a credible version for a steal at the stall. On the menu, it is listed as Fermented Rice Residue Chicken Mee Sua ($5). 

The distinct aroma of Hua Tiao wine is evident even before you take a sip of the burgundy broth.

An entire bottle of the wine goes into simmering the chicken, together with the red wine lees, infusing the meat thoroughly. Each bowl has about four to five pieces of chicken.

Where: Hai Xia Handmade Noodle, 01-967 Kimly Coffeeshop, 684 Hougang Avenue 8
MRT: Hougang
Open: 6am to 1pm, Wednesdays to Mondays; closed on Tuesdays