A big bowl of noodles is always a welcome sight. And Singapore Noodles are loaded with protein and veggies, plus it’s on the table fast. This next level stir fry dish hails from Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong, so no one is exactly sure why they are called Singapore Noodles. But everyone agrees that they are delicious, so let’s get into it!
Singapore Noodles are ubiquitous at restaurants but that doesn’t mean you’re going to get a good bowl. Too often, the noodles are bland, dusty, and underwhelming. I know, I’m sad too when I get a bad batch. So today, I’m going to show you how they are meant to be: chock full of fresh ingredients, briny from the dried shrimp, and saturated with flavor. Are you with me?
The Noodles
Singapore Noodles have many different variations. There are vegetarian versions, some versions include scrambled eggs, and beef or ham instead of Chinese sausage. In fact, this is a great dish to make when you have some veggies you need to use up, so go ahead and whip up a batch with cabbage, snow peas, beansprouts, etc. But there’s two ingredients that are always used or it just isn’t Singapore noodles…curry powder and rice vermicelli. The rice noodles make this dish super quick, because they don’t even need to be cooked before going into the stir fry. They just get soaked in water while you prep everything else. And they have the delightfully springy texture that made this dish famous.
Singapore Noodles Stir Fry
This dish is a stir fry, so you need to have everything prepped and within reach of the stove.
Once you have everything prepped, including having the sauce ingredients measured out and close by, the cooking happens very quickly. Start with a hot pan, a large wok is great too, but I use a 12 inch skillet.
At home, I think a 12 inch skillet is a necessity, unless you usually cook for one. You need to have as much hot surface area as possible in order to actually get a stir fry. If you crowd everything in, you’re going to be steaming your ingredients and it just won’t be the same. I also encourage you to use high heat when stir frying. It’s better to get a little char (not all out burn) while constantly moving things around in your pan rather than letting them sit and cook on medium heat. You will notice much better flavor and texture. So get brave and crank up the heat. You can always turn it down 😉
Now your Singapore Noodles are ready to be plated, garnished, and devoured!
I know you’re going to love this fresh and fast take on Singapore Noodles. Please take a moment to let me know what you think by rating and commenting on the recipe below, and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
Singapore Noodles
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: noodles
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 7 ounces dried rice vermicelli
- 3 Tablespoons neutral oil
- ½ red pepper
- ½ large yellow onion
- 1 ounce dried shrimp (¼ cup)
- 8 ounces ground chicken
- 2 links chinese sausage
- 8 pieces shrimp (I used 21/25 “large” size)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
- 1 ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 scallions, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Garnish:
- 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 3 Tablespoons fried shallots
Instructions
- Soak the rice vermicelli in cool water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Cut the red pepper into thin slices and set aside.
- Cut the onion into thin slices and set aside.
- Cut the Chinese sausage on an angle into thin slices and set aside.
- Heat a large 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan.
- Add the chicken and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Then break up the meat and continue to cook for another minute. Raise the heat to high and add the dried shrimp, onion, peppers, and garlic. Stir fry for 2 minutes, constantly moving things in the pan.
- Next add the chinese sausage and curry powder. Continue to stir fry for another minute.
- Add the oyster sauce, salt, pepper, and chicken stock and stir to combine.
- Add the shrimp.
- Add the noodles and cook for about 3 minutes until the noodles are cooked and springy and the liquid has evaporated. (You can toggle between medium high and high heat if you notice ingredients starting to burn).
- Add the scallions and use a pair of tongs to mix into the noodles.
- Pile the Singapore noodles onto a platter and serve topped with cilantro and fried shallots.
Notes
*Singapore noodles is not usually a spicy dish but you can feel free to substitute spicy curry powder or even add some crushed chili flakes with the curry powder to give it a kick.
*It is difficult to mix ingredients into long noodles evenly, so I don’t bother. Just make sure to stir the noodles and ingredients often as you cook, so everything is cooked evenly.
*When piling the noodles onto the serving platter, I like to layer it, scooping the noodles, then some of the meat and veg, then some more noodles, until you’ve stacked it all on the platter. This way you get a nice mix of ingredients from the top to the bottom of the platter.
Keywords: noodles, curry, shrimp, chinese sausage, chicken, singapore noodles
