Chili Pan Noodles (or chili pan mee), a delicious classic Chinese Malaysian dry noodle dish with toppings such as minced meat, fried anchovies (ikan bilis), a poached egg, and chili oil.
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The Malaysian Chili Pan Noodles, or more commonly known as Chili Pan Mee, is one of my absolute favorite dishes. You can easily find it at hawker stalls, restaurants or in malls (where I frequently went to growing up) in Kuala Lumpur. It’s a simple meal that hits the spot every time, and you can adjust the level of spice you’d like accordingly!
Hakka-Styled Goodness
Pan Mee literally translates to flat flour noodle. A variation of pan mee is to serve it in hot soup, which is a great option to have during the cold winter months in Chicago. However, when this Hakka-style noodle is served dry, it is my comfort food and brings out the nostalgic feelings of gallivanting around town when I was growing up.
Chili pan mee traditionally comes with minced meat, fried anchovies (ikan bilis), a poached egg, and chili oil.
The poached egg is a key ingredient that adds to the flavor, and pairs well with the spiciness from the chili oil. It is also the best part of the mixing experience! Once you have everything plated, break the runny egg yolk with your spoon, give the ingredients a good mix, and enjoy.
I’ve added instructions on how I make poached eggs as well.
Hope you’ll try this little taste of home!
Recipe updated: September 20th, 2022.
Instructions
Ingredients
Beef Mushroom Umami sauce
- Garlic, minced
- Shiitake mushroom, sliced
- Ground beef
- Dark soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Light soy sauce
- Pepper
- Sugar
- Water
- Cornstarch
Others
- Eggs
- Dried anchovies
- Wheat noodles
- Green onions (for garnishing)
- Chili oil/sambal
Beef Mushroom Umami Sauce
- Mix the 1 cup water and 2 tsp cornstarch to make a cornstarch slurry. Set aside for later.
- In a pan over medium heat, sauté garlic then add mushrooms. Pan fry until mushroom browns and is cooked (2-3 minutes).
- Add the beef and all the seasonings. Break up the clumps of meat. Once it browns and has fully cooked, pour in the cornstarch slurry. Stir and let it cook until the sauce thickens slightly (for 1-2 minutes). Set aside.
Fried anchovies
- Fry the dried anchovies until lightly golden and crispy. Set aside.
Poached Egg
- To poach the egg, crack the egg in a cup.
- Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium low heat. Add 1 tbsp of vinegar and create a small whirlpool in the pot with a spoon.
- Slowly pour the egg in the middle of the whirlpool and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Noodles
- Boil noodles per instructions.
Assembling
- Add noodles to a serving bowl. Add the ground beef, egg and fried anchovies next to each other on top of the noodles per the picture.
- Add your favorite chili oil and drizzle some over the noodles.
- Add green onions to garnish.
How to enjoy
- Serve while hot. Break the egg yolk and mix all the ingredients in the bowl. Enjoy!
Notes for Malaysian Chili Pan Noodles/Mee
- Marinate: You can marinate the beef with the seasonings beforehand too for at least 10 minutes.
- Shallot Garlic Oil: For extra flavor, I highly recommend making a shallot garlic oil and adding it to the meat mushroom umami sauce. To make: on low heat, fry sliced shallot and garlic until it browns (10-15 minutes).
- Dried anchovies: You can find the dried anchovies at the refrigerated section of any asian grocer.
- Chili oil: I also used my homemade chili oil. As for a store bought option, I recommend the one by Lao Gan Ma.
More Malaysian Recipes
- Malaysian Malay-Style Chicken Rice (Nasi Ayam)
- Malaysian Chicken Curry (Kari Ayam)
- Soy Sauce Eggs (Telur Masak Kicap)
- Fried Butter Shrimp/Prawn
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Malaysian Chili Pan Noodles
Ingredients
Beef Mushroom Umami sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 3 shiitake mushroom sliced
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Others
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup dried anchovies
- 2 servings wheat noodles
- 1 green onions (for garnishing)
- chili oil/sambal
Instructions
Beef Mushroom Umami Sauce
- Mix the 1 cup water and 2 tsp cornstarch to make a cornstarch slurry. Set aside for later.
- In a pan over medium heat, sauté garlic then add mushrooms. Pan fry until mushroom browns and is cooked (2-3 minutes).
- Add the beef and all the seasonings. Break up the clumps of meat. Once it browns and has fully cooked, pour in the cornstarch slurry. Stir and let it cook until the sauce thickens slightly (for 1-2 minutes). Set aside.
Fried anchovies
- Fry the dried anchovies until lightly golden and crispy. Set aside.
Poached Egg
- To poach the egg, crack the egg in a cup.
- Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium low heat. Add 1 tbsp of vinegar and create a small whirlpool in the pot with a spoon.
- Slowly pour the egg in the middle of the whirlpool and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Noodles
- Boil noodles per instructions.
Assembling
- Add noodles to a serving bowl. Add the ground beef, egg and fried anchovies next to each other on top of the noodles per the picture.
- Add your favorite chili oil and drizzle some over the noodles.
- Add green onions to garnish.
How to enjoy
- Serve while hot. Break the egg yolk and mix all the ingredients in the bowl. Enjoy!
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