Noo Cheng Adam Road Big Prawn Mee: Luxury with some omph

Two brothers man this stall in Adam Road that has made a name for itself for serving super luxurious Hokkien prawn mee soup in a stall called Noo Cheng Adam Road Big Prawn Mee.

Started by their father more than 30 years ago, this stall sees younger brother Teo Aik Cheng, 43, cooking and manning the stall from 9.30am to 4.30pm, while older brother Teo Wah Ann, 49, takes over and cooks in time to offer their very popular noodle soup from 6.30pm to 2am.

You don’t go to this stall for the ordinarily priced offerings below S$5 – you go to luxuriate in the flavours and textures of large red leg prawns at S$7 per bowl, and when available, I recommend you opt for the king tiger prawns, 250g in size, priced at S$13 per bowl.

Do the brothers’ cooking justify their reputation? The answer’s yes! As Teo Wah Ann knowledgeably said, while not divulging the secrets behind the soup: “It is important that we use sea prawns and deep sea prawns for the flavour of the soup, as they add that special punch!”

And of course, pork bones go into the soup as well. Other ingredients used to make the stock include additional prawn heads, which have first been sautéed in oil to get a texture reminiscent of French bouillabaisse (seafood soup).

Whole crabs are also stewed in the broth to add even more depth of flavour. I can tell from the choice of crabs that the brothers can really cook, because they have selected thin-shelled mud crabs, which have just grown new shells after moulting. It is easy to bite into the shells even if they have not been cracked well.

The crabs contain rich roe, boiled till hard. I would have preferred the crabs less cooked, but I reckon that they cook them very well so that the crabs won’t turn bad easily.

Priced at S$13 a bowl, this is a lovely dish to savour. Opt for the dry noodles, tossed in a concoction of chilli  — and I suspect some sort of dried seafood — which Teo Wah Ann, dismisses as just simple chilli powder.