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Food guide

Sabah Noodles: Tuaran Mee, Ngiu Chap and the Other Bowls to Know

Fried egg noodles from Tuaran and Tamparuli, Beaufort's noodles in gravy, and two meaty noodle soups: what each is and how to order it.

Updated

Beaufort mee: egg noodles in glossy gravy with char siu, chicken and greens

This guide covers Tuaran mee, Tamparuli mee, Beaufort mee, ngiu chap and sang nyuk mee—from fried noodles and noodles in gravy to beef and pork noodle soups.

Each dish links to a page with its sources (Tamparuli mee is covered on the Tuaran mee page); this guide explains how they differ and how to order them.

Quick recommendations

Start here
Tuaran mee
For soup
Ngiu chap
Pork noodles
Sang nyuk mee
1

Fried egg noodles: Tuaran and Tamparuli mee

Tuaran mee and Tamparuli mee are fried egg noodles from two towns in the Tuaran district, both topped with char siu, chun kien (egg roll) and egg.

Tuaran mee is the famous one. Malay Mail describes handmade yellow noodles made only with egg yolks, springy to the bite, crisp on the outside and firm inside; rumour has it they are fried twice.

Tamparuli mee comes from Tamparuli, on the road towards Mount Kinabalu. MySabah calls it Tuaran mee's strongest rival and finds its noodles springier and more eggy; Malay Mail says they are perhaps rounder and slightly larger, and that the two are hard to tell apart.

  • Tuaran mee: fried egg noodles with char siu, egg and greens in a takeaway box

    Sabahan Chinese (Hakka)

    Tuaran Mee

    Tuaran mee is a Sabah noodle dish of hand-made egg noodles fried hard in a wok until springy and slightly crisp, served with char siu, choy sum and egg roll. It comes from the town of Tuaran, north of Kota Kinabalu.

2

Noodles in gravy: Beaufort mee

Beaufort mee, from the town of Beaufort, is soft yellow noodles in a thick sauce with thinly sliced pork and plenty of choy sum.

It is the saucy one of the group: the noodles are stir-fried until slightly crisp, then finished in a thick gravy. Tuaran mee, by contrast, is a fried noodle with its toppings on top.

  • Beaufort mee: egg noodles in glossy gravy with char siu, chicken and greens

    Sabahan Chinese

    Beaufort Mee

    Beaufort mee is a 'wet' fried noodle from the town of Beaufort in south-west Sabah: springy egg noodles tossed in a hot wok, then finished in a garlicky gravy with char siu or chicken and crunchy greens.

3

Noodle soups: ngiu chap and sang nyuk mee

Ngiu chap is noodles with beef balls, brisket, tripe and tendon in a thick beef broth; sang nyuk mee is its pork counterpart, sliced pork in a pork-bone broth, first made in Tawau.

Both also come dry, as kon lou (also spelt kon lau). TheSmartLocal describes dry ngiu chap as broth-less, with soy sauce. Dry sang nyuk mee comes in two bowls: noodles mixed with dark soy sauce and pork oil, and pork broth with the sliced pork, meatballs and offal.

  • Ngiu chap: a bowl of beef noodle soup with sliced beef, tendon and beef balls

    Sabahan Chinese (Hakka)

    Ngiu Chap

    Ngiu chap ('mixed beef' in Hakka) is a Kota Kinabalu beef noodle soup with brisket, tendon, tripe and beef balls in a spiced broth, served with noodles either in the soup or dry on the side.

  • Sang nyuk mee in two bowls: yellow noodles glossy with dark soy sauce beside a pale pork broth with sliced pork, meatballs and liver

    Sabahan Chinese

    Sang Nyuk Mee

    Sang nyuk mee is a Sabah pork noodle dish: noodles with marinated sliced pork and a pork-bone broth, served either as a soup or dry with dark soy and the broth on the side. It was first made in Tawau.

4

Which are halal?

As usually made, Tuaran, Tamparuli and Beaufort mee are topped with pork and sang nyuk mee is a pork dish, so none of them is halal. Ngiu chap is beef, but whether a bowl is halal depends on the shop.

Check a shop's own halal status rather than the dish name. Our halal food guide for Kota Kinabalu explains what halal, Muslim-friendly and pork-free mean.

Map

South China SeaSulu SeaCelebes SeaKota KinabaluSandakanTawauSempornaTuaranPenampangKundasangRanauBeaufortLahad DatuKudatKeningau

Schematic map, not to scale. Select a town to see where to eat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sabah's most famous noodle?

Tuaran mee. Malay Mail calls it Sabah's most famous noodle dish, and the Sabah Tourism Board says visitors travel to Tuaran just to taste it.

Which Sabah noodles are halal?

Not as usually made: Tuaran, Tamparuli and Beaufort mee come with pork toppings and sang nyuk mee is a pork dish. Ngiu chap is beef, but check each shop's own halal status.

Sources and further reading

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