• This dish is said to have originated from Thailand because of its sour, spicy and sweet taste, which is characteristic of Thai food.
• There is another belief that mee siam is a Malay or Nyonya dish that originated from Penang, Malaysia, which food may have been influenced by the Thai.
• In addition, there are also Chinese-style and Malay-style mee siam. The Chinese version consists of rice noodles (or bee hoon) stir-fried with chili paste and topped with fresh prawns, sliced fish cake and strips of omelette. The Malay version, on the other hand, is topped with sliced boiled eggs and Chinese chives, before a soup is poured over it.
• Mee siam is a favourite among Singaporeans. The more common version in Singapore consists of rice noodles stir-fried with chili paste, sliced boiled eggs, dried tofu and Chinese chives, with a sweet and sour tamarind soup (commonly known as “Asam” in Singapore and Malaysia regions) poured over it.

In support of Singapore’s Unesco bid to recognize hawker culture, two female students from Temasek Polytechnic visited local hawker centres at the end of last year. They interviewed hawkers to understand the origins and evolution of “Singapore-style breakfast” dishes such as nasi lemak and mee siam. (Lianhe Zaobao, 13/1/2019)