It’s an ambition to cook a dish from every country in the world – a sort of travel by fork.
So I was disappointed to learn that my long-time favourite Singapore noodles won’t earn me my Singapore stamp. Turns out they are a Cantonese creation, and probably originated in Hong Kong.
I certainly ate them regularly when I lived in Vancouver and worked a short walk from Chinatown.
These days I cook them up myself. It’s one of those meals that is dictated by the contents of the vegetable box.
No carrot? Use celery. Beansprouts to use up? Toss them in. Don’t eat meat? Leave it out. Water chestnuts, peas, green beans? All good.
The only essential ingredients are the type of noodles – thin rice sticks – and a vibrant curry powder.
Singapore noodles
(serves 4)
- 400g thin rice sticks
- peanut oil
- 2 eggs, beaten with a Tb of water
- ½ a small onion, sliced thinly
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips
- ¼ cup Chinese pork or cooked ham, diced
- 200g raw, peeled prawns
- ½ a red pepper, cut into thin strips
- a handful of mange-tout, cut into strips
- 2 tsp curry powder, or to taste
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- salt to taste
- 2 green onions, cut thinly crosswise
- Put the noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water over top. Leave them for a few minutes until softened, but not soft. Drain and set aside, tossing occasionally so they don’t stick together.
- Heat a teaspoon of oil in a small skillet over a medium flame. Pour in the beaten eggs, and cook until set, flipping half way. Remove from the pan, roll into a cylinder and cut into thin strips.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Add the onion and carrot, and stir-fry for a minute. Add the pork, then the prawns, egg strips, and finally the pepper and mange-tout. Stir over a teaspoon of curry powder, toss well to combine, then remove from the heat.
- Tip the stir-fry mixture into a bowl, wipe the wok clean and heat another tablespoon of oil. Add the noodles and toss well. Add the second teaspoon of curry powder and the soy sauce, and fry for another minute or so.
- Return the vegetable mixture to the wok and toss everything together to heat through. Season with salt to taste, scatter with green onions and serve.
Ten More Bites 
Looks delicious 🙂
Thank you!
I grew up in Singapore and it was a trope of food writing to note that the only dish named after Singapore or associated with it overseas…wasn’t actually local at all. It sounds really delicious, though
That’s interesting — I’d always assumed it was from Singapore and thought it made sense as a kind of Indian/Chinese fusion dish. Kind of like Canadian back bacon in the UK — I’d never heard of the stuff until I moved to London from Vancouver…
I’m still not 100% what Canadian bacon is meant to be! The only time I had it, in the US, it resembled circular ham
I agree — it’s ham to me 🙂
yummy. I love SIngapore noodles