RMCO food takeaway: Discovering old-fashioned 'prawn mee' and 'lum mee' at PJ's Section 17

PETALING JAYA, Aug 12 — I've been to the small food court next to PJ Section 17's market many times before for tong sui and woon chai koh but I didn't know it also hid a stall that made prawn mee and lum mee, until a friend pointed it out to me.

Based on her recommendation, I made my way to stall number 9, tucked in a corner and asked for a bowl of prawn mee for RM6.

I was rewarded with a bowl of noodles with a light, fragrant broth. There's an old-fashioned air to this version of prawn mee that is topped with sliced pork, shelled prawns, and a wedge of hard boiled egg.

Unlike other places, these pork slices almost look like char siew as they are marinated with soy sauce which gives it a darker colour. It's much nicer that way since it gives the meat more flavour.

The prawns are a favourite as they're juicy and just the right size to enjoy. Just add RM2 more to get additional prawns that will up the level of deliciousness.

What is interesting is this broth packs a potent spiciness on its own. If you want an even spicier broth, the sambal on the side will blow you away with its fiery taste.

As the broth is kept boiling away, if you order it at lunch time versus breakfast, the flavours would have developed even more.

The 'lum mee' gets its deliciousness from mixing the spicy 'sambal' into the thick sauce

However, as only a small batch of the broth is made daily, the food can run out quickly. Going during lunch time means it can be a little risky.

The prawn mee is a newly introduced item but many know of this stall's lum mee. In fact, it was sold out by the time I dropped by for lunch so I had to return the next day to take away the noodles.

This version of lum mee is much nicer than that of more famous stalls since the gloopy broth is not overly starchy. On its own, the broth can be a little bland but add that fiery sambal on the side and it ups the flavour tremendously.

For your take-away, you can assemble the 'prawn mee' by heating up the broth and mixing it with the noodles


As the 'lum mee' sells out quickly, I had to return to take away my meal another day

I also liked how the noodles have a nice, smooth texture as it's not the usual yellow mee with the alkaline taste. For a textural contrast, there's shelled prawns, shredded chicken and crunchy bean sprouts. You can order a bowl for RM6 and add on more prawns for RM2.

You can choose to dine-in or take away the food to eat in the comfort of your home.

Stall number 9, Pusat Penjaja 17/1A, Jalan 17/1A, Petaling Jaya. Open daily from 6am to 1pm.