{"id":36643,"title":"Authentic Singapore Noodles","modified":"2025-06-22T12:29:35+02:00","plain":"Delicate rice noodles stir-fried in a fragrant curry sauce\n\n\n\nCurry? Yep, you read that correctly. To be honest, nothing is right about these noodles.\n\n\n\nThey are called Singapore noodles even though absolutely nothing connects them to Singapore (they were invented in Hong Kong); they use curry, an ingredient that is uncommon in Chinese or Hong Kong cooking; there is Cantonese char siu, rice vermicelli more typical of Vietnam or Thailand... anyway, you get the idea.\n\n\n\nCraving a Chinese noodle recipe that is more traditional? Try longevity noodles\n\n\n\nStill, it is delicious, and whatever its origins, we are going to enjoy it.\n\n\n\nSome amusing names in Cantonese cuisine\n\n\n\nThe bloggers at Chinese Cooking Demystified (my main source for this article) list a few other oddly named dishes in Chinese cuisine: Swiss chicken wings, which are wings braised in a sweet, seasoned soy sauce. Not exactly a Zurich specialty! \n\n\n\nThis has nothing to do with the article, but I wanted to share my recent pork and cabbage stir-fry\n\n\n\nYou will also see Portuguese roast chicken on some restaurant menus, which, unsurprisingly, has nothing Portuguese about it...\n\n\n\nKey ingredients in Singapore noodles\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRice noodles : These thin, light Asian vermicelli absorb the flavours of the dish while retaining a delicate texture. They serve as the base for the stir-fry.\n\n\n\nLight soy sauce : A salty soy sauce that adds depth of flavour without making the dish heavy.\n\n\n\nSesame seeds : They lend a bit of crunch and a subtle nutty aroma as a finishing garnish for the dish.\n\n\n\nMadras curry powder : A spice blend from India made with turmeric, cumin, coriander, and other fragrant spices. It brings a spicy, aromatic flavour to the dish.\n\n\n\nTurmeric : An orange-yellow spice that intensifies the colour of the dish and adds a slight earthy bitterness. It is optional but boosts the curry flavour.\n\n\n\nChar siu : Chinese barbecued pork that is marinated and roasted, known for its sweet-savory taste and distinctive red colour. It adds umami and a tender texture to the stir-fry.\n\n\n\nShrimp : They bring a gently sweet seafood flavour and a firm texture that contrasts with the noodles and vegetables. Use them raw.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic Singapore Noodles\n\t\t\n\t\tFragrant stir-fried rice vermicelli tossed in a savoury curry sauce.\t\n\t\n\t\tWok\t\n\t\n\t\t180 g rice vermicelli (dry weight. Opt for loosely packed bundles; tightly compressed noodles tend to break.)Curry Aromatics1 tablespoon Madras curry powder0.5 teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)2 cloves garlic (finely minced)0.5 shallot (finely minced)1 tablespoon onion (finely minced)Vegetables & Toppings8 stalks white part of scallions (cut into 5 cm (2-in) lengths)80 g mung bean sprouts (trimmed\u2014pinch off the bean and wispy tail, if present)0.25 onion (thinly sliced)50 g red bell pepper (julienned (thin strips))50 g green bell pepper (julienned (thin strips))Proteins50 g char siu (Chinese barbecued pork) (julienned)50 g shrimp (marinated (see below))Shrimp Marinade0.25 teaspoon salt0.25 teaspoon white pepper (freshly ground)Egg Omelet1 egg (made into a thin omelet and sliced into ribbons)Stir-Fry Seasoning1 teaspoon salt0.5 tablespoon sugar1 teaspoon light soy sauceGarnisheswhite sesame seedsgreen parts of scallions (thinly sliced)\t\n\t\n\t\tMake the Egg OmeletBeat the egg in a small bowl. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil.When the oil is shimmering, pour in the beaten egg.Swirl the pan to coat the surface and cook until just set, about 45 seconds.Turn off the heat, cover, and let the omelet steam for 2 minutes.Roll the omelet up, cut it in half, then slice into thin ribbons. Set aside.PreparationTrim the bean sprouts, cut the scallions, slice the onion, and julienne the char siu and bell peppers.Finely mince the garlic, shallot, and onion for the curry base.Toss the shrimp with the salt and white pepper and let marinate for 10 minutes.Cook the NoodlesBring a large pot of water to a boil, add the rice vermicelli, and cook for 1 minute 30, stirring gently. Drain without rinsing.Spread the noodles on a tray or in a colander lined with a tea towel (or cover with plastic wrap).Let them steam in their own heat for about 10 minutes.If they clump, gently separate the strands with your fingers.Stir-Fry the ComponentsHeat a lightly oiled wok over medium-high heat and stir-fry the sliced onion for 30 seconds.Add the bell peppers and cook for 15 seconds more. Transfer to a plate.Without cleaning the wok, saut\u00e9 the bean sprouts over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Set aside.Add a splash of oil, then stir-fry the shrimp for about 45 seconds, just until they turn pink. Remove and set aside.Build the Curry BaseReturn the wok to medium heat, add a little oil, and saut\u00e9 the minced onion for 1 minute.Add the garlic and shallot and cook until fragrant and translucent, about 1 minute.Stir in the scallion whites and cook for 45 seconds.Sprinkle in the curry powder and turmeric, drizzle in a little more oil, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until the spices are toasted and fragrant.Combine & FinishAdd the noodles and increase the heat to medium-high, tossing constantly to loosen the strands.Season with salt, sugar, and soy sauce and toss for 15\u201330 seconds to coat evenly.Return the onion, bell peppers, and bean sprouts to the wok and toss for about 15 seconds.Add the char siu and shrimp; stir-fry for another 30 seconds.Add the omelet ribbons and give everything a quick toss.Turn off the heat, transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallion greens.\t\n\t\n\t\tCooking the rice noodles: To keep them from breaking during the stir-fry, briefly blanch the noodles in boiling water, then let them finish steaming in their own residual heat. Other methods work as well\u2014such as soaking in cold or hot water until pliable, giving them a quick par-boil followed by a cold rinse, or dry-toasting them in a lightly oiled wok before stir-frying.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tMain courseChinese\t\n\n\n\n\n\nCulinary sources\n\n\n\nFor this recipe, I started with the version from the bloggers \"Chinese Cooking Demystified\" and made a few minor tweaks","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}