Che Jai Meen is one of the great hawker delights of Hong Kong. It’s literally translated as “small cart noodles” but commonly called peddler noodles.
These wonderful push carts carries a mind boggling array everything from pork, eggs, veggies, beef, offal and of course, the all important fishball.
You choose the ingredients you want and it’s served up in a huge bowl with noodles and hearty beef-flavored broth.
This is one of the local delights that you just have to try out. I first saw it in a Stephen Chow movie. Heh. The shop that we went to has very limited seating but that’s part of the deal – it adds to the ambiance.
This is Jeanie’s bowl – it has a fish slices, meatballs, sausages, stomach and some vegetables. Each ingredient you choose adds to the total price of the dish.
My very own che jai meen is much more opulent. I think I ticked half of the options that were available and would have gone for more if the cook had not stopped me and said it won’t fit into the bowl. You can barely see the noodles as it is. 
It makes for a very hearty breakfast – the piping hot broth is flavored with a stock that tastes as if it’s been boiling for a long time. However, the beef balls is hands down the highlight of the che jai meen. The huge beef balls practically squirts its juices when you bite into it and it’s springy and chewy. Superb!
Hong Kong does beef balls really well – it seems to be a cultural thing and a pride of the nation…but don’t quote me on that as I gleaned the information from Stephen Chow’s God of Cookery film. 😉 However, it is one of the most delicious bowls of noodles I’ve ever tasted in my life – it ranks up there with the best!
Don’t forget to order the beef balls when you’re eating from a humble che jai meen stall in Hong Kong – it’s delicious and probably one of the best you’ll taste in the world.
…and if you’re up to it, you can do like the locals do and stick a toothpick in your mouth after the delicious che jai meen meal to clear any pesky debris sticking to your molars. I’ve never seen Jeanie use it before but she seems to have gone native during our trip there.
Woah so many side dishes!! Makes me feel hungry now! >.< The beef balls can use to play ping pong!
Yeah, I couldn’t resist! I wanted to try them all! 🙂
I noticed the locals eating there usually get about 3 side dishes. I ordered so many the person told me it won’t fit.
HAHAHA yeah I remember that movie too – the beef balls were so bouncy it could be used to play ping pong. Hilarious. 😀
i miss hk!! so much delicious food there. haha its so like you to order so much. did you finish? :-p
Yeah, me too! I miss all the good food there. It’s a bit of a food paradise eh?
You get to eat all the stuff you’ve only seen in HK movies. Heh.
Yeah, I have to try everything…but I finished it all! 😀
I was so full afterwards but I still ate another round of lunch. 🙂
looks really delicious! *slurp slurps
Yeah, it’s really good Cindy! 🙂
I’m craving for the stuff right now.
I’ve never quite liked soup noodles until I went to Hong Kong. They do it very well there – the broth is very flavorful.
Another nickname of these noodles are dirty noodles but despite its nasty legacy, I really love che jai meen! THEY ARE LIKE THE BEST THING THAT EVER EXISTED IN HK!
Nice! I didn’t know that!
Thanks Michelle! 🙂
Dirty noodles. I like the name. Haha!
Yup, I love che jai meen too. Awesome stuff! 😀
Gosh…this looks absolutely heavenly….. Hey! You’re torturing me lah! Next time, take me on one of your food trips. I’ll carry your bags…. LOL!!!
Yeah, it’s good indeed! I first heard of it in that Stephen Chow movie – Karen Mok was in it too I think.
Sure thing!
Haha! No need to carry my bags, I don’t pack that much stuff on trips.
It’ll be fun to go together sometime mate! 🙂
I think the auntie who took the photo was actually taking her photos, not you and Jeannie. Heheheee agree?
Haha! Good eye bro.
I didn’t even notice the reflection until you mentioned it.
Actually, that auntie was the push cart noodle seller. At least for the condiments bit, the guy cooks the noodles itself.
Very nice people them, and good food and great prices too! 🙂
I can use a bowl of that right about now, your bowl is pretty epic there. lol
Yeah, it’s lovely stuff bro, especially the beef balls.
Definitely one of the best beef balls I’ve ever had – springy and juicy.
Well, there was this order chit where you can choose your ingredients and I started ticking at it and when the person saw it, I was told it won’t fit in the bowl so I had to downsize a bit. 🙂
HB, have a copy of film and see you like Hong Kongnese style stall food. It great and mine is beef stew over noodle or beef organs which is pretty good also.
Yeah, I like eating where the locals eat. It’s the best thing about traveling and getting to know the culture of a place. 🙂
Yup, I love organs too, but I can’t read Chinese so I ticked randomly. Haha!
i didn’t tried this during my trip there cos my friend doesn’t take beef due to religious belief. so yeah, missed it. but it’s okay cos i will definitely be back hehe. not so soon though
Yeah, you should really try this next time you’re in Hong Kong! 🙂
It’s really delicious stuff. I will be going back as well, I love the place.
…not so soon too, but I’ll love to visit again! 😀
Dude, I bet you observed some senior citizens cleared the pesky debris sticking to the molars…then, put the remnant of the scrumptious meatballs back into their mouth……… let nothing to waste.
Heh! I haven’t noticed anything like that, but then I wouldn’t be watching that closely. 😉
It seems quite common to use toothpicks over there. I don’t know, maybe it’s common here too but I just never liked the idea of poking something into my gums. 😡
wah that is the smartest looking uncle preparing mee that I’ve ever seen!
HAHAHA
Yeah, I didn’t notice it then but now that you mention it, he was quite well dressed – like he was going to the office instead of making a batch of noodles. 🙂
This is another one that I missed during my visit in Hong Kong. I’ll marked it in my list for next trip.
Yeah, it’s delicious stuff!
I first saw it in the Stephen Chow movie so I wanted to try it. One of the best bowl of soup noodles I’ve had – you can choose the type of noodles you want too. 🙂
Awesome Collection, Many thanks Eric