Bak Chor Mee ($6)!
Jalan Besar bak chor mee (BCM). Dry mee pok with bean sprouts, side soup with fishballs, pig liver, and minced pork. $6.
Lunch at a Jalan Besar hawker stall. Bak Chor Mee (BCM), $6. πππΌ
What was on the tray:
- Dry mee pok: flat egg noodles tossed in the stallβs signature mix of black vinegar, soy, chilli, lard oil, with bean sprouts and crispy fried shallots scattered on top
- Side soup bowl: fishballs, sliced pig liver, fish cake slices, minced pork crumb, scallions, all in a clear pork-bone broth
- The dry-plus-soup format that defines BCM in Singapore
Bak chor mee (θθι’) is one of the defining Singapore hawker noodle dishes, alongside wanton mee and laksa. The Teochew roots show in the use of:
- Black vinegar (ι»ι): the slightly tart base that lifts the bowl
- Mushroom braise sauce: dark, savoury, deepens the umami
- Minced pork (θθ bak chor): hence the name
- Sliced pig liver and offal: the proper version uses them, lesser stalls skip them
- Mee pok or mee kia: flat or thin noodle, customerβs choice
The Jalan Besar area has a strong BCM heritage. The neighbourhood hosts several long-running specialist stalls competing on the same dish, each with their own black-vinegar-to-chilli ratio. Picking between them is the local sport.
At $6, this is mid-tier BCM. Below the Hill Street / Tai Hwa premium tier ($8+) but above the budget hawker tier ($4-$5). The soup bowlβs portion was generous enough to justify the price point on its own.
The noodle texture was the highlight. Mee pok cooked al-dente, sauce coating each strand without clumping, the vinegar coming through without overpowering the lard richness. The pig liver was sliced thin and still tender, the marker of careful timing.
Overall: 4.3 / 5. πππΌ Solid Jalan Besar BCM. Would re-order for the soup bowl alone.
