Singapore Noodles

This Singapore noodle recipe is an easy to make dry curry noodle dish made with stir-fried vermicelli noodles, curry powder, shrimp, strips of eggs, meat, and vegetables - just like takeout but made in the comfort of your home!

Here's a neat tidbit I learned recently - in Singapore, this dish doesn't actually exist as an authentic local dish. Singapore noodles (Fried Bee Hoon) in Singapore don't actually have curry in it as well!  This is more of a Chinese dish, but how they came up with the name Singapore Noodles is still a bit of a mystery to me - maybe because of the fusion of Chinese (the noodles) and the Indian (the curry) flavors?

Regardless of the origin or authenticity, great food is still food to be had and shared and this delicious dish, which can be found at any Chinese restaurant and takeout joint, can be made right in the comfort of your own home and is quite simple to make!

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITIONS FOR SINGAPORE NOODLES

• Vermicelli Noodles - When you are buying vermicelli noodles, make sure the ingredient list has rice as an ingredient. You also want to buy the thin ones that are 1 mm thick. I could not find a decent brand online (they are all too thick), so please try to buy this local if possible.
• Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) - Chinese BBQ Pork can be bought at restaurants, but can also be found in larger Asian grocery stores as well, but if you cannot find it, you can make it with our Sweet and Sticky Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork) recipe!
• Shrimp - To make it easier to cook (and eat), we want to make sure the shrimp is peeled. You can pick up shelled shrimp and peel it at home as well.
• Madras Curry Powder - If you can't find Madras curry powder (which is usually found online or at Asian grocery stores) you can also use regular curry powder as well. The main difference is how spicy it is. Madras curry powder tends to be slightly spicier.

WHICH NOODLES TO USE FOR SINGAPORE NOODLES?

When you are looking for vermicelli, make sure they are thin and make sure the ingredient list has rice or rice flour in it. There are a lot of noodle packages out there that are labeled 'vermicelli' but are actually bean threads and is made with beans, which are actually glass noodles/cellophane noodles. Rice noodles should have an off-white color like in the photo, whereas bean threads are usually very white in color and in smaller bundles.

To prevent mushy noodles, it is crucial that you do not boil the noodles before you stir fry them. You only want to soak them in hot water for 20 minutes or until they are soft and pliable/flexible.

HOW TO MAKE THIN EGG RIBBONS

To get thin strips of eggs flowing through your Singapore noodles, you have to pan-fry each egg ahead of time on its own, 1 egg at a time.

1. Beat 1 egg well in a bowl
2. In a hot frying pan (the one you will use to make the noodles in), add in oil and make sure it is hot. To test the pan to see if it's hot enough, add a drop of egg into it. It should instantly sizzle.
3. Add the well-beat egg into the frying pan and swirl it around in a circle to form a thin layer of egg, like you're making a thin crepe.
4. Remove egg from the pan, and repeat steps 1-3 for the next egg.
5. Once you have both eggs cooked, roll it up into a log and thinly slice it. Use your fingers to separate the strands.

This step is not necessary and only needed if you want these thin egg strips. If you're pressed for time, pre-scrambling the eggs works too and is much quicker as long as you don't mind that the eggs will be in scrambled egg chunks within the noodles.

PREPARATION IS KEY

To make sure the cooking process is quick and easy for this Singapore Noodles recipe, preparing the ingredients ahead of time is very important. You want to have everything (the soaked noodles, all the ingredients, the pre-cooked egg, and the sauce) available right by the stove when you are putting everything together in the frying pan. You also want to make sure that everything is in a uniform shape (in this case, match sticks or strips) as well to make the noodles easier to eat.

EASY SINGAPORE NOODLES CURRY SAUCE

To get an even coat of curry spread over all the noodles, I like to add my curry powder directly into the sauce so that it spreads all over the ingredients and noodles a lot easier for a more even coating.

LOOKING FOR MORE NOODLE RECIPES? TRY THESE!

• Beef Chow Fun (Beef Ho Fun)
• Crispy Cantonese Beef Chow Mein
• Maple Curry Yaki Udon
• Beef & Onion Soy Sauce Noodles

DID YOU MAKE THIS SINGAPORE NOODLES RECIPE?

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Singapore Noodles

An easy to make dry curry noodle dish (Singapore Noodle) made with stir-fried vermicelli noodles, curry powder, shrimp, strips of eggs, meat and vegetables

4.75 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Fusion

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 488 kcal

INGREDIENTS

 

• ▢ 225 g rice vermicelli noodles (½ of the pack of 454g, approximately 3 ½ - 4 cups after it has been soaked)
• ▢ ¾ cups of unsalted chicken stock (or water)

Vegetables

• ▢ 2 cm ginger (grated, approximately 2 tablespoons)
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic
• ▢ ½ pepper (any color, sliced, approximately 1 cup)
• ▢ ½ white onion (sliced, approximately 1 cup)
• ▢ 1 carrot (approximately 1 cup)
• ▢ 1 cup snow peas (tips removed, sliced thinly)
• ▢ 2 stalks green onions

Meats

• ▢ 12 shrimp (peeled)
• ▢ 1 cup Chinese BBQ pork - char siu (cut into thin strips)
• ▢ 2 eggs

Curry Sauce

• ▢ 3 ½ tablespoons Madras curry powder
• ▢ 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine (or dry sherry)
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons water
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, to make it spicier)

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Preparation

• In a large bowl, add the dry vermicelli noodles and soak it in hot water. Make sure the noodles are fully immersed in water. I usually just use hot tap water for this step but make sure the water is very hot. Soak it for about 20 minutes
• Grate the ginger and set aside
• Finely mince the garlic and set aside
• Cut the peppers into thin strips and set aside
• Peel and cut the onion into half moon slices and set aside
• Peel and cut the carrots into fine matchsticks and set aside
• Remove the hard tips from the snow peas and cut them into thin strips and set aside
• Cut the green onions into 2-inch chunks and cut them thinly length-wise. Set this aside to add at the very end when the dish is done cooking.
• Cut the Chinese BBQ Pork into thin strips and set aside
• If you have shelled shrimp, peel it. If you are using frozen shrimp, make sure it has fully thawed. Set the shrimp aside for later
• Once the noodles are soft, drain the water and use scissors to cut them in half to make it easier to cook with and easier to eat.

Making Egg Ribbons (or Scrambled Eggs)

• [Note: For Scrambled Eggs Instead] If you want to make simple scrambled eggs instead of egg ribbons, skip the steps 2-7 below in this section and simply beat the eggs together in a bowl and scramble it in a frying pan. Remove from the eggs from the pan and set aside. If you want egg ribbons, then follow steps 2-7 in this section instead.
• In a large frying pan, add a bit of oil and wait for the oil to get hot. To test if the oil is hot enough you can add a drop of egg into it, it should sizzle right away.
• In a bowl, beat 1 egg.
• When the oil is hot, add the egg in and swirl it around the frying pan to create a thin sheet of egg (like a thin crepe). Cook both sides for approximately 1 minute. Remove the egg and set it aside.
• Repeat steps 1-3 for the next egg
• Stack the thin sheets of egg on top of each other and roll it into a log and use a knife to cut it into ¼ inch thick strips (or thinner)
• Use your fingers and gently separate the strips and set it aside to be added at the very end when the dish has finished cooking.

Making the Curry Sauce

• In a bowl, add in all the ingredients listed under 'Curry Sauce' and mix well. Set aside for later.

Putting It Together

• In a large frying pan or wok, add a bit of oil and set the heat to Medium heat
• When the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the ginger, garlic, and shrimp and cook it for approximately 1 minute.  Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.
• Add in the BBQ pork and carrots and cook until the carrots have wilted approximately 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the snow peas, white onions, and peppers and cook everything for 1-2 minutes.
• Add in the noodles and the chicken stock (or water) and mix the noodles everything together, until the noodles have absorbed all the liquid.
• Once all the stock/water has been absorbed by the noodles, add the curry sauce into the pan and gently mix everything so that the noodles get a coating of the curry sauce and cook for another 2 minutes or until the noodles are soft and cooked.
• Add in the cooked eggs and green onions, turn off the heat and carefully mix everything together until everything is well mixed
• Enjoy!

NOTES

• When you are purchasing vermicelli, make sure you buy thin noodles (1mm thick).  It should also list rice or rice flour in the ingredients list. There are noodles that are labeled as vermicelli but are actually bean threads/glass noodles which are made with beans.
• If you don't have Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu), you can substitute it with chicken, pork (marinated in soy sauce and garlic) or any type of leftover meats! If you're feeling adventurous, I also have a recipe for Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) on the blog as well!
• The main difference between normal curry powder and Madras curry powder is the level of spiciness. If you can't find Madras Curry Powder, you can substitute it for regular curry powder as well

NUTRITION

Serving: 1Serving (2 cups) | Calories: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 9g | Sodium: 2488mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g

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