Noodles

How Many Calories in Mee Hailam?

Hainanese-style yellow noodles with thick savoury gravy, vegetables, and your choice of chicken or seafood, a hawker staple that sits comfortably in the middle of the calorie range.

550kcal / 1 plate
One plate of Mee Hailam is around 550 calories for a standard 420g serving with chicken and thick gravy. That puts it in the middle range for Malaysian noodle dishes, roughly on par with a plate of Mee Rebus. The calories come mainly from the yellow noodles (220 cal) and that thick, starchy gravy (135 cal) rather than the protein on top, so swapping chicken for seafood does not save you much.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 plate (420g)AmountPer 100g
Calories550 kcal131 kcal
Protein28 g7 g
Carbs72 g17 g
Fat14 g3 g

Where the calories come from

Yellow noodles (cooked, ~150g)150g
220 kcal
Chicken or seafood topping (~80g)80g
125 kcal
Thick gravy (oil, oyster sauce, sweet soy, cornstarch)120g
135 kcal
Vegetables (choy sum, carrot, baby corn)70g
30 kcal

The real talk

Mee Hailam sits at around 550 calories for a standard chicken plate, which is honestly not bad for a hawker noodle dish. To be upfront, that number is a ballpark estimate because proper nutritional data for Mee Hailam is thin, and every hawker stall pours that gravy differently. The two main calorie drivers are the yellow noodles at 220 cal and the thick gravy at 135 cal. The chicken or seafood on top only contributes about 125 cal and it also gives you 28g protein, which is decent for keeping you full. Vegetable-only version drops to around 430 cal but the gravy is still doing work even without the meat, so do not assume it is a diet meal just because there is no chicken lah.

The maths changes most based on how heavy-handed the cook is with the gravy. That thick Hainanese sauce is made with oil, oyster sauce, sweet soy, and cornstarch, and a generous pour can easily add another 50 to 80 calories on top of the estimate. The noodle portion also varies, some stalls give you 150g of yellow noodles, others dump in 200g without thinking. If you are watching your intake, the single most effective thing you can do is ask for less gravy. The vegetables at only 30 calories for 70g are basically free food, so if the stall gives you extra choy sum or baby corn, take it.

Mee Hailam variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Vegetable only (no meat)430 kcalSkip chicken/seafood, gravy still adds significant calories from oil and sauces
Chicken (standard)550 kcalMost common hawker version with chicken slices and thick gravy
Seafood mixed (prawn, squid, fishcake)600 kcalHigher protein and slightly more calories from mixed seafood topping

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in Mee Hailam?
A standard plate of Mee Hailam (about 420g with chicken and thick gravy) is around 550 calories. Go vegetable-only and it drops to roughly 430 cal; add mixed seafood and it nudges up to about 600 cal.
Is Mee Hailam healthy for weight loss?
It is one of the more reasonable hawker noodle options at 550 calories, and the protein from chicken or seafood helps you stay full. The main issue is the thick gravy which adds about 135 calories largely from oil and sauces. If you are tracking calories it fits fine as a meal, just watch the portion size and ask for less gravy if you can.
What is the difference between Mee Hailam and Mee Rebus?
Both are saucy yellow noodle dishes but the gravies are quite different. Mee Rebus uses a thick sweet potato-based gravy with a sweeter, earthier taste, while Mee Hailam has a Hainanese-style savoury gravy built on oyster sauce, sweet soy, and cornstarch. Calorie-wise they are in a similar ballpark, both hovering around 500 to 600 cal per plate.

Related foods

See all Noodles calories, ranked →

Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical hawker or kopitiam serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

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