Ungluten Your Ba Chor Mee

Photo of a bowl of Ba Chor Mee by Li Yuan Mee Pok - featuring Japanese char siew (roasted pork slice) and tonkotsu-style base.

Did I tell you, that whenever I am away from Singapore, the food that I miss most is Ba Chor Mee.

Translated from the Hokkien name of this quintessential Singaporean dish, Ba Chor Mee means ‘Minced Meat Noodles’. It combines savoury, spicy and sour all in one - a unique blend of umami, chilli oil and vinegar, that I cannot even find it in our neighbouring country - Malaysia, although we share so many similarities in food culture.

Back when I still did not know that I had a gluten intolerance, I would eat ba Chor mee at least once a week, selecting my favourite type of noodle - mee kia, which is similar to egg noodles and made from wheat. The sauce base also contained soy sauce, and hence I would have an almost immediate reaction of swollen cheeks and a tingling sensation down my arm after eating it.

Fast forward to today, I have found a way to still enjoy my favourite dish but without the gluten. This is what you can do if you want to ungluten your Ba Chor Mee:

• For noodles, choose non-wheat types

• Bee Hoon, Thick Bee Hoon, Bee Tai Bak, Kway Teow

• Ask the chef not to put soy sauce in the base if you are having it dry

• Do not add vinegar or minimize it, as some brands contain malt (which has gluten)

Initially, you may find the taste very bland. But I found that our tastebuds will adjust to not having soy sauce, and you can start to taste the food’s original flavour. But I do find the lack of vinegar quite a damper. So what I do is I will still have small amounts of it, and fortunately I don’t have any negative reactions to it as long as I choose non-wheat noodles and say no to soy sauce.

Expert Tip: You can bring along your own gluten-free soy sauce if you want and add it to your Ba Chor Mee.