Hokkien mee: Noodle dish from Southeast Asia, with ingredients varying by region. Prawns are a key component in Indonesia and Singapore, while in Malaysia pork, squid and cabbage are used.
For days she had been preparing this meal in her home in the Katong neighborhood of Singapore. Each buah keluak shell had been cracked so that it gaped, revealing a thick, inky paste that Chee instructed me to scoop out with a tiny spoon designed for only this purpose. Cassava is a root from the…