Yes, and it consists of generous portions of lobsters, prawns and clams!
The local Halal food scene is definitely growing – we are now exposed to Halal dim sum, ramen and even an Izakaya joint.
But when I think of Prawn Mee, no Halal options come to mind until about a month ago. Deanna’s Kitchen – Singapore’s first Halal Prawn Mee stall – opened its doors at a hawker centre in Toa Payoh. Since then, they’ve been consistently selling out well before their closing time.
This Hokkien dish isn’t something that I would have cravings for, since it is afterall an unfamiliar dish to the Muslim community.
The husband and wife team behind the stall also agreed that it was a “niche market”. Undeterred, they saw a gap in the market and decided that they “wanted to introduce Halal Prawn Mee to the Muslim community”.
It Started Off As A Craving, Not A Business Idea
Owner Asri Ramli’s wife was desperate to find a bowl of Halal Prawn Mee after she converted to Islam, which is when she started experimenting with her family’s recipe. The recipe called for pork bones, which proved hard to find other flavour alternatives.
When their perfected broth had finally won the votes of family members and close friends, they took it to Instagram to hold pop-up sales. A bowl for 5 pax went for $35 and it comes with a generous serving of 15-25 medium-sized prawns.
The pop-up sales started to be a weekly affair after receiving positive reviews and demand started snowballing.
Leap Of Faith
One day a stall at the hawker centre opposite of where they were staying was up for rent and “thought it was a sign to open a prawn noodles stall”.
They also “realised that many Muslims have not tried such yummy Prawn Mee before because it is not common and those that are easily accessible are not halal”.
Setting Up Deanna’s Kitchen
“Because we are new in the industry, we had problems finding suitable suppliers and there were quite a few occasions that we were charged more due to our inexperience”.
“Manpower is still an existing problem we are facing. It is very difficult to hire reliable stall assistants and we are relying on family now to help us”.
Venturing into the business also meant that they had to make certain sacrifices.
“We have less family bonding time and sometimes we feel very guilty that we have no time for our son during the weekends. So we have made a conscious decision to operate only half days on Sundays so that we can still have family time after the stall closes”.
A Bowl Made With Love
They only sell the soup version but their menu is not limited in any way.
“One reason for not doing the dry version was that our soup version is really delicious and our expertise is in the broth, so we wanted to ensure that we are offering our customers the food that we are most confident in”.
“We also pride ourselves with the finishing touches, which is why our fried shallots are homemade”.
To cater to the younger crowd, Deanna’s Kitchen offers variations of the dish starting with a standard bowl with prawns and clams ($7) to one with lobsters ($26.50). “By offering varieties of crustaceans, it attracts more customers and pulls them in because this is something not commonly offered”.
There’s also the lobster Prawn Mee platters ($38.50), which is proving to be their bestseller thanks to the generous portions and value for money.
If you’re a fan of Mee Bandung, this lighter version will definitely be right up your alley. Don’t be deceived by the unassuming broth – the broth is robust with that briny aftertaste that kept me slurping till the very last drop.
Deanna’s Kitchen
Toa Payoh West Hawker Centre
Blk 127 Toa Payoh Lor 1 #02-25
