There’s a new food craze in town: Suan La Fen 酸辣粉, the numbingly spicy and sour hit comprising transparent vermicelli noodles coated with a broth of chilli paste, vinegar, and chilli oil. While many brands (as well as e-commerce shops) have popped up with their own version of the instant noodles that will set your tongue on fire, one has emerged as the “face” of all instant suan la fen: Hai Chi Jia 嗨吃家. 

What’s in a Cup of Hai Chi Jia Suan La Fen?

One of the most recognisable brands, thanks to the bowl-haired celebrity on their packaging (as well as ezbuy’s relentless ads), Hai Chi Jia’s suan la fen – or more specifically, the Golden Soup Spicy Noodle comes with all ingredients individually packed and sealed. The brown paper lid also makes it easy to cap and uncap as you please.

Ingredients include vermicelli noodles, chilli paste, vinegar, chilli oil, seasoning, vegetables, and even fresh peanuts for the complete suan la fen experience.

To cook it, simply pour everything into the cup, followed by hot water. Leave to cook for about 4 to 5 minutes.

The Taste Test 

At first glance, the cooked suan la fen appears as fiery as its reputation – vibrant red broth complemented by the vegetables and peanuts. The noodles themselves yield a chewy, almost bouncy consistency, with the peanuts adding some extra crunch.

Taste wise, the broth packs quite a punch, and the mere memory of the sour and spicy notes is making my mouth water and my tummy ramble. My personal threshold for spice is pretty low, and I did find myself reaching for my emergency cup of ice water more than a few times. For spice noobs like myself, I would recommend about adding about half a packet of chilli paste so you can still enjoy the flavours without working yourself into too big of a sweat.

Where Can You Buy them? 

Just like ezbuy’s ads (I swear this is not a plug for them!), sellers for Hai Chi Jia Suan La Fen are a dime a dozen. For those with don’t want to wait around for online pre-orders, you can get them for $3.25 a cup from Fairprice Finest. 

Otherwise, head to these online sellers, and pull up a chair and went for them numbingly spicy noods to hit your front door!

• Asia’s Best (from $16.90 for 6 cups)
• Warehouse Supplies, Shopee (from $3.88 per cup)
• No Brand, Lazada ($19.90 for 6 cups)
• FancyStore, ezbuy ($12.50 for 6 cups)

chueonit.