Home-Style Singapore Fried Noodles...

If you are a fan of Chinese noodles, you would have likely tried Singapore fried noodles. It's on most Chinese fast-food and dining menus with its stand out of yellow-tinted rice noodle strands flavoured with mild or spicy curry and tossed with a bevy of crisp-tender veggies and meat. Everyone I know whose had it, loves it. So it must be super famous in Singapore right? The contrary. In fact, it's foreign to the native Singaporean, leaving those traveling to the country baffled when they can't find a stall serving this very curry rice noodle in sight. The origin of this dish was apparently created by a Hong Kong chef who wanted to show that Cantonese cuisine can be multi-culturally innovative by combining noodles and curry (British-influence) in a stir-fry. How the country Singapore got attached to the name is the big question. Some say this dish is starkly similar to another rice noodle called fried bee hoon or xin zhou mi fen, loosely translated as ‘Singapore Rice Vermicelli Noodles'. However, if you are on the streets of Singapore, don't expect to find curry in their fried rice noodles, but rather a nice helping of chili sauce on the side if you want the heat.

I enjoy this beauty but never attempted it. A request from one of the senior learners in my Chinese cooking program, got me excited to finally experiment. I tested/cooked a fabulous rendition for my family, and taught it in a couple of my cooking programs within two weeks. Since this is a dry fry noodle, the trick is to cook the vegetables separately to release most of their moisture, and also toss the noodles in the curry mixture in batches so strands are evenly flavoured and continues to cook until dry on heat. Resulting in a lovely dry not mushy rice noodle dish. So happy I gave it a whirl and love it! A winner for dinner, as it's truly a hearty delicious meal in one- golden curry-tinted fried rice vermicelli, juicy shrimp, sweet Bbq pork char siu, fluffy eggs and green and red peppers!  Scroll down for the full recipe.

Singapore Fried Noodles
Serves 6 to 8

1 pkg. (454 g) vermicelli thin rice noodle sticks
4 Tbsp. oil, divided
3 eggs, cooked into a thin crepe (thinly slice and set aside)
1/2 medium Vidalia or another sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced
3 cups bean sprouts, ends removed, rinsed well
200 g small raw shrimps, sprinkled with a little salt and white pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. ground curry
1 tsp. turmeric
2 Thai red chili peppers, sliced (optional)
2 tsp. salt
½ lb. deli bought Chinese BBQ pork, sliced into matchsticks
Garnish: soy sauce and chopped cilantro

Cook noodles according to package instructions. Do not rinse. Keep warm.

I love the beautiful colours and textures in this gorgeous dish!

I like to add turmeric to enhance the dish's golden colour!

Thinly sliced Chinese deli BBQ pork is synonymous with this dish.

You can substitute pork with matchstick slices of king oyster mushrooms or chicken.

Cooking with parents over at Fraser Mustard #communitykitchen

Most of these parents are muslim. With their strict halal practice, food like pork and cooking wine (even traces of alcohol in ingredients) are not permitted in their cooking. At our culinary session last week, we just used shrimps and eggs.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil on medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions and stir-fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the peppers, and toss for another two minutes. Remove onto a plate. Next, stir fry the bean sprouts for one minute to remove excess moisture. Set aside with onion and pepper mixture. 

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil and sauté shrimps until cooked about two minutes. Remove onto a separate plate.

Seniors cooking over at St.Stephen's Community Centre this week.

Whisking up eggs for the thin crepe.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil, sauté the green onions and garlic for one minute, careful not to burn. Add the curry and turmeric, chili peppers (if using), cook for one minute, then add the salt. This is to cook off the taste of the raw ground spices to create more of a paste. Slowly add the noodles in batches, tossing to ensure curry well coats. 

Toss the noodles in the curry mixture in batches so each strand is flavoured and continues to cook until dry on heat.

Add the onions, peppers, sprouts and toss for a minute. Lastly add the shrimps, toss well. Top with egg slices. Garnish with cilantro, sesame seeds and dashes of soy sauce as desired.

The nerve of these two, looking très content with my Singapore fried noodles after several hours recipe testing it in the kitchen... Nah, just the "mom is on her cam again look" and "we gotta look like we are excited!!!"🤨📸 

#lifeasafoodblogger

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I always add a dollop of sambal oelek for a pop of heat!

I love the community feel #cookingandeatingtogether

With parents at Fraser Mustard- the largest Kindergarten school in North America.

With seniors over at St.Stephen's Community Centre.

What a way to finish the meal, counter the spicy heat and the winter chills but with a bevy of Chinese sweet red bean glutinous black rice tapioca dessert soup. 

Is that hot chocolate?-- No, it's Chinese sweet dessert soup!

My joint tweet with partner TDSB Welcoming Communities to highlight our very first session.

Full Recipe:

Singapore Fried Noodles
Serves 6 to 8

1 pkg. (454 g) vermicelli thin rice noodle sticks
4 Tbsp. oil, divided
3 eggs, cooked into a thin crepe (thinly slice and set aside)
1/2 medium Vidalia or another sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced
3 cups bean sprouts, ends removed, rinsed well
200 g small raw shrimps, sprinkled with a little salt and white pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. ground curry
1 tsp. turmeric
2 Thai red chili peppers, sliced (optional)
2 tsp. salt
½ lb. deli bought Chinese BBQ pork, sliced into matchsticks
Garnish: soy sauce and chopped cilantro

Cook noodles according to package instructions. Do not rinse. Keep warm.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil on medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions and stir-fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the peppers, and toss for another two minutes. Remove onto a plate. Next, stir fry the bean sprouts for one minute to remove excess moisture. Set aside with onion and pepper mixture.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil and sauté shrimps until cooked about two minutes. Remove onto a separate plate.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil, sauté the green onions and garlic for one minute, careful not to burn. Add the curry and turmeric, chili peppers (if using), cook for one minute, then add the salt. This is to cook off the taste of raw ground spices to create more of a paste. Slowly add the noodles in batches, tossing to ensure curry well coats. Add the onions, peppers, sprouts and toss for a minute. Lastly add the shrimps, toss well. Top with egg slices.

Garnish with cilantro, sesame seeds and dashes of soy sauce as desired.