素米粉 / Vegetarian bee hoon ($3)!
A budget vegetarian plate: fried bee hoon with curry cabbage, fried beancurd skin, mock char siew and pickled green chilli. $3.
A wholesome, wallet-friendly meatless lunch: 素米粉 (vegetarian bee hoon), $3. 😋
What I had:
- Fried bee hoon topped with curry cabbage, fried beancurd skin, mock char siew and pickled green chilli
This is the Buddhist-vegetarian take on fried bee hoon, and it is comforting in a quiet, homely way. The base is rice vermicelli fried with vegetable oil and light soy so it stays savoury and clean (no lard, no garlic or onion in the strict version), then you pile on toppings from the spread.
The toppings did the heavy lifting. The curry cabbage was the saucy, flavourful heart of it, soft cabbage stewed in a mild, fragrant curry that you spoon over the noodles so they soak it up. Sheets of fried beancurd skin added a crispy-then-silky texture, slivers of mock char siew gave it a savoury, slightly sweet bite, and the pickled green chilli brought a sharp, tangy lift that cut through everything.
It is plain, balanced, feel-good food, the sort of meatless plate that fills you up without weighing you down. And at $3, it is the kind of honest budget eating that is getting harder to find.
Overall: 4.4 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Savoury vegetarian bee hoon with fragrant curry cabbage and crispy beancurd skin, humble and great value. Would re-order.
