Don Signature Crab - Singapore Food Guide

Bak Chor Mee Soup (Minced Meat Noodles)

A comforting Singapore-style bak chor mee soup of springy egg noodles, savoury minced pork and a clear pork broth finished with black vinegar and chilli — perfect for hawker-centre nostalgia at home.

Bak Chor Mee Soup (Minced Meat Noodles)

About this dish

Bak Chor Mee Soup is the soupier cousin of the famous dry bak chor mee you queue for at your favourite hawker centre. In Singapore, this minced-meat noodle dish lands on tables from kopi shops to heartland hawker centres, and is equally loved for breakfast, a quick CBD lunch or a late-night supper after a movie in town. The soup version keeps the slurpy noodles warm in a light, porky broth while still delivering the tang and heat from black vinegar and chilli — a classic balance Singaporeans recognise from zi char stalls and kopitiam counters.

The broth is gently flavoured with pork bones, dried shiitake and aromatics so it’s clear but full-bodied; minced pork is seasoned and poached or braised until tender, then spooned over noodles with slices of pork, fish cake or mushrooms. Textures matter — springy mee pok or mee kia, soft minced meat, chewy mushrooms and the occasional crunch from fried shallots or pork lard. Local home cooks often tweak the heat with sliced chilli padi or a dollop of sambal, and drizzle black vinegar for that familiar tang.

This recipe is written for typical Singapore kitchens — metrically measured, easy substitutions from NTUC FairPrice or Cold Storage, and techniques to speed up the broth for weeknight dinners (pressure cooker option included). Serve it family-style in the living room for a cosy makan session or pack leftovers for the next-day lunchbox; bak chor mee soup is versatile, comforting and unmistakably Singaporean in flavour.

Ingredients

  • 2 L water
  • 800 g pork bones (neck or trotters), blanched
  • 200 g minced pork (lean or 80/20 mix)
  • 150 g pork collar or pork belly, thinly sliced
  • 100 g pork liver, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 150 g dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced
  • 300 g mee pok or mee kia (egg noodles), blanched
  • 100 g fish balls or fish cake slices (optional)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil or rendered pork lard
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (for colour, optional)
  • 1 tbsp black vinegar (traditional Chinkiang or dark vinegar), plus extra to serve
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • Handful fried shallots or crispy pork lard bits for garnish
  • Fresh coriander leaves for garnish
  • 2–3 tbsp sambal chilli or chilli oil (to taste)
  • 1–2 bird’s eye chillies (chilli padi), thinly sliced, to serve
  • Salt to taste

Step-by-Step Method

  1. Make the broth: in a large pot add blanched pork bones, 2 L water, 4 crushed garlic cloves, a thumb-sized piece of smashed ginger and the rehydrated shiitake stems; bring to a boil then simmer gently for 30–40 minutes until fragrant and slightly milky. Skim any scum in the first 10 minutes.
  2. While the broth simmers, season the minced pork with 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar and a pinch of white pepper; mix and set aside to marinate briefly.
  3. Prepare the other proteins: blanch the thin pork slices and pork liver (if using) in boiling water for 20–30 seconds until just cooked; remove and set aside. Blanch fish balls until they float. This keeps juices in and gives clean flavours.
  4. Heat a small pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp oil or 1 tbsp lard and fry the minced garlic until fragrant. Add the seasoned minced pork and stir-fry on high heat until it just breaks up and is cooked through but still moist — about 3–4 minutes. Add 1 tbsp dark soy if you want deeper colour.
  5. Build the soup bowls: divide blanched mee pok or mee kia among bowls, top with a generous scoop of minced pork, arranged pork slices, fish balls and sliced shiitake.
  6. Finish the broth: strain the simmered pork broth into a clean pot, adjust seasoning with salt and a little light soy if needed, and bring back to a gentle simmer. Ladle hot broth over the bowls, just enough to cover the noodles and warm the toppings.
  7. Dress each bowl with 1 tbsp black vinegar (or to taste), a drizzle of sesame oil, chopped spring onions, fried shallots and a spoonful of sambal chilli. Toss lightly at the table if diners prefer the dry-style mixing, or leave soupy — both are authentic.
  8. Taste and adjust: like many zi char stalls in Singapore, balance tang (vinegar), salt (soy/salt) and heat (sambal). Add extra sliced chilli padi for more punch.
  9. Serve immediately with extra black vinegar and chilli on the side. Leftovers: keep broth and noodles separate to prevent soggy noodles; reheat broth and pour over freshly blanched noodles when ready to eat.

Tips & Serving Ideas

  • Short on time? Use a pressure cooker to make the pork bone broth in 25 minutes instead of a long simmer.
  • If you can't find pork lard, use a mix of neutral oil and a knob of butter or a little chicken fat for richness; lard is commonly sold at wet markets and some NTUC/Cold Storage outlets.
  • Blanch meat and offal briefly in boiling water to remove impurities and keep textures delicate — a technique used by hawkers to get clear, clean broth.
  • Adjust chilli heat to local tastes: Singaporeans often add sliced chilli padi for a fiery hit; reduce or remove for children or those sensitive to spice.
  • Make broth ahead and refrigerate overnight — the flavour will mellow and any fat can be skimmed from the surface for a cleaner soup.
  • To keep noodles springy, cook them just until al dente, then drain and briefly toss with a little sesame oil so they don't clump before serving.

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