By The Table desk · Last verified 7 October 2026
Wanton mee is thin, springy egg noodles with char siew (barbecued pork), leafy greens such as chye sim and wantons (pork dumplings, boiled or fried). The name itself is Singapore in miniature: “wanton” is Cantonese for dumpling and “mee” is Hokkien for noodle. You choose dry – noodles tossed in a sauce of soy, oyster sauce and oil, with a small bowl of soup and wantons on the side – or soup, with everything in the broth. Dry bowls come with chilli (the reddish, Singapore-style toss) or without, and some stalls serve a darker, sweeter black sauce version. Hawker plates commonly cost about $3.50 to $7.
It is a quick, cheerful bowl and one of the best ways to judge a hawker centre. Here is how to order exactly the version you want.
Quick facts
- Name: Cantonese “wanton” (dumpling) plus Hokkien “mee” (noodle), as SG101 notes.
- Default in Singapore: dry, with chilli, char siew, greens, and wantons in a side soup.
- Soup version: noodles in a pork-and-chicken broth, often deepened with dried flounder.
- Wantons: boiled, fried, or a mix; some stalls add sui kow (larger prawn dumplings) for extra.
- Price guide: a Seth Lui round-up of 11 stalls (updated August 2025) ran from $3.50 to $11.90, with ten of the 11 at $7 or less.
- Sizes: many stalls sell small and large (“$4 or $5?”), sometimes with extra char siew or wantons.
Dry or soup?
Most Singaporeans order dry, because the sauce is the point: a toss of light and dark soy, oyster sauce, oil or lard, and often chilli, which coats each strand. You still get a little bowl of soup with boiled wantons, so you are not missing out. Soup is lighter and gentler, and is what you will often see in Hong Kong-style shops, where the noodles sit in a clear broth.
Black or red: the sauce question
| Style | What’s in the sauce | Look and taste | Where you’ll see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore-style with chilli (“red”) | Soy, oyster sauce, oil or lard, chilli sauce; some stalls add a little tomato ketchup | Reddish-orange, savoury-sweet with a kick | Most hawker wanton mee stalls |
| No chilli | Same base, chilli left out | Pale brown, savoury, gentle | Ask for “no chilli” (bu yao la) |
| Black sauce | More dark soy, sometimes caramel-sweet | Glossy black, sweeter, sticky | Malaysian-style stalls (often labelled KL, Johor or Pontian) |
| Soup / Hong Kong style | Clear broth, little or no sauce | Light, clean, prawn and flounder notes | Hong Kong-style noodle shops |
The “red” in the question can also mean the char siew, which in Singapore is often the bright red, lean kind; caramelised, charred char siew is a mark of stalls that roast their own.
How to order
- Size first: “One small” or say the price, e.g. “one $5”.
- Dry or soup: “dry” (ta) or “soup” (tng).
- Chilli: “chilli” or “no chilli”; some stalls let you say “less chilli”.
- Extras: extra wantons, fried wantons, sui kow or more char siew, each priced by the stall.
- Takeaway: the soup is packed separately, so ask if you want extra.
Worked example
Suppose a stall sells small at $4 and large at $5, with extra wantons at $1. A large dry with chilli plus extra wantons is $6; a small soup for a child is $4; together $10. These are illustrative numbers to show how the board works; your stall’s sign is the real price.
How to spot a good bowl
The noodles should be springy, not soft: SG101 notes they are cooked briefly and rinsed in cold water to keep their bite. Wantons should be thin-skinned with a juicy filling. Char siew should taste of honey and smoke, not just food colouring. And the soup, even the little side bowl, should taste of something more than MSG.
The WahLiao Verdict
For your first bowl in Singapore, order dry, with chilli: it is the local classic and the sauce shows off the stall’s skill. If you want comfort, go soup; if you crave sweet and glossy, seek out a black-sauce Malaysian-style stall. Spend the extra dollar on more wantons rather than more char siew, and eat it fast, before the noodles soften.
Questions people ask
Is it wanton mee or wonton mee?
Both spellings are used. “Wanton mee” is the common Singapore spelling; “wonton noodles” is more usual in Hong Kong and overseas.
Is wanton mee halal?
Traditional wanton mee uses pork, so it is not. Some halal stalls make chicken versions; look for MUIS certification.
Can I ask for no lard?
Yes, many stalls will leave out the pork lard or crispy lard bits if you ask, though it may already be in the sauce base.
What is sui kow?
A larger Cantonese dumpling, usually with prawn, pork and sometimes black fungus or water chestnut. It is often an add-on or a separate soup.
Sources: SG101 (Singapore government heritage resource), wanton mee name, components, sauce and broth; Seth Lui, round-up of 11 stalls with prices, updated August 2025. The Table explains; it does not endorse.
Read next: Hokkien Mee and Char Kway Teow: What’s the Difference and How to Order · Chicken Rice Explained: White or Roasted, Drumstick or Breast, and How to Order · Back to The Table
For what’s worth it this week, with the bill shown, read The WahLiao Week.
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