Mistifying Midnight Mee

I don't remember much about living in Malaysia. Our annual visits never forged a patriotic pride within me. Nor did I have a driving desire to go shopping or do anything else in particular. So why would we subject ourselves to the constant threat of snatch thieves and muggers (2 muggings occurred outside our house in the last 3 days and every single member of our extended family -I do not come from a small family- has been held up, robbed or been the target of snatch thieves or pickpockets), the 100% humidity and heat that will grill you in the open and poach you in your own sweat in the shade? Aside from visiting family, it's food. Not fancy restaurants or home-cooked meals. We want what you can only find here, what you can't replicate in your own kitchen or in a gourmet bistro. Hawker food. There's something truly tantalizing about what hawkers do with their wares. Each stall specialising in a particular dish (or small selection of related dishes), it's always awe-inspiring to witness the speed and dexterity with which they whip up their wares and, in some cases, package them. Tapow, or take away/take out, becomes an art form in the hands of these makanan-maestros. Let us examine the following case study: one late night tapow order of Hokkien Mee.

The ingeniously engineered packaging in this case consists of only two materials: one sheet of newspaper and one of plastic. As you can see, the result is a neat and compact parcel that requires no additional structures to close or fasten it shut. The paper acts as both an insulator and a stabilising layer allowing corners to be tucked away beneath each other. Practical applications of origami indeed.

Beneath this printed paper epidermis lies the protective waterproof plastic sheet. This sheet securely contains the food and its fluids in a tidy and hygienic (you can't read the paper off your fish and chips here) bubble. Preventing leaks is essential to maintaining the structural integrity of the outer layer and preserving the precious contents within.

You think that the magic ends there, but No! There is more! When you sit at any coffee shop (referring to an open-air hub of hawker stalls and tables, not a Starbucks) and order noodles or rice or whatever, you will always get some form of condiment in a little plastic dish that also acts as a stand for spoons and chopsticks. But what about the tapow version? Would they not require a second little plastic packet to contain the sauce separately from the main feature? NO! Upon unfolding your expertly crafted plastic package you will find the cunningly concealed chili sauce completely contained in its own little corner of the sheet! Simply flip open that final corner and you have your Hokkien Mee meal complete with chili sambal on the side.

That smoky background hum, indicative of Hokkien Mee, can only be forged in the fires of a hawker stall. Sure the black sauce can give you that dark savoury note, the pork fat can add that meaty edge and the prawns can give you the sweet highlights to the soft and slippery noodles (mee and mee hoon in this case). But to create the full symphony of real Hokkien Mee flavour, you need that extra even char from a flaming hot wok and the nimble hands of an expert to toss the noodles and ingredients into a silky harmonious entity. Having it late at night just compliments the darkness and mystery emanating from this sensual dish.