Singapore Noodles
Like many items on a Chinese-American menu, Singapore Noodles aren’t actually of the provenance that its name implies. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a dish called “Singapore Noodles” on a menu in most of Asia, much less in Singapore itself. So how did it get its name?
Well, it’s probably based off a Singaporean rice vermicelli dish called Xing Zhou Bee Hoon which is a stir-fry of rice noodles with shrimp, pork and vegetables. The big difference is that it’s not seasoned with curry powder. Singapore Noodles may not be a traditional dish, but it is a delicious one, and the spindly, vibrant, curry-flavored impostor has found its way into the hearts of food lovers across the English speaking world.
Why this recipe works
- The noodles are rehydrated with boiling water and are then soaked in cold water until you use them. This ensures the noodles cook quickly, and it keeps them from sticking together.
- The shrimp and pork are marinated with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and potato starch. This not only seasons them, the starch locks in moisture, which ensures the proteins stay plump and juicy.
- Use a pan with a lot of surface area, this ensures your pan stays hot enough, so you’re stir-frying and not steaming your vegetables. A wok is best in theory, but most home stoves don’t put out enough energy to effectively use a wok. Unless you have a wok burner, I recommend using a very large frying pan instead.
- The vegetables are only minimally stir-fried. This ensures they stay crisp and retain their vibrant colors.
- Although everything is stir-fried until the noodles are added, once the noodles go in, they’re steamed with chicken stock seasoned with fish sauce and oyster sauce. This not only seasons the noodles to the core, but it also keeps them from clumping up.
What are the ingredients for Singapore Noodles?
As you might expect in a dish this colorful, it does require a fair number of ingredients, but none of them should be too hard to find.
Noodles
- Rice vermicelli – The noodles for this dish are very thin rice noodles, which are usually labeled rice vermicelli, bee hoon, or maifun.
Protein
- Shrimp – While any size shrimp will work, I like to use ones that are Medium Large (36/40) or smaller. That’s because shrimp that are too large will won’t play well with the wispy noodles.
- Pork – Any tender cut of pork will work. Alternatively, you could also use chicken, beef, or lamb.
- Soy Sauce – Just your run-of-the-mill Kikkoman will work. It’s purpose is to season the proteins.
- Shaoxing Wine – This is Chinese rice wine. Although it is not too sweet, it is aged, which gives it a wonderful caramel flavor. If you can’t find it, a dry sherry will work.
- Potato Starch – By including starch in the marinade for the proteins, it helps lock in their moisture, preventing them from getting dry and chewy as you stir-fry them.
Sauce
- Chicken Stock – Rice Vermicelli needs a liquid to cook properly. You could use water, but chicken stock adds much more flavor to the noodles.
- Fish Sauce – Fish sauce can be a little stinky, but the curry powder masks any fishy funk, and the fish sauce adds boatloads of umami. If you don’t want to use it, soy sauce is a suitable alternative.
- Oyster Sauce – Oyster sauce adds loads of umami as well as a mild sweetness. When shopping for oyster sauce, look for one that lists oysters as the first ingredient (many brands don’t include much oyster). My favorite oyster sauce is made by a Thai brand called Megachef.
Stir-Fry
- Eggs – Eggs not only add extra protein, but they also soak up the flavor of the sauce like a sponge.
- Garlic – I used one giant clove of garlic, but feel free to add more garlic to suit your tastes.
- Ginger – Together with the garlic and curry powder, the ginger is a key flavoring component of this dish. Be sure to mince it finely as ginger can be a little stringy.
- Onions – I used regular yellow onions, but red onions or shallots work just as well.
- Bell Peppers – I like using a mix of red and green bell peppers not just because of their color, but because the green ones taste like peppers, while the red ones are more sweet and fruity.
- Bamboo – Thin strips of bamboo lend a nice crunchy texture to the dish.
- Bean Sprouts – These add a nice crisp texture, and because of their long thin shape, they blend in well with the noodles.
- Curry Powder – Use a Southeast Asian curry powder with lots of turmeric. This is where the noodles get their vibrant yellow color.
- Scallions – I use some scallions to garnish my Singapore Noodles, but cilantro is another tasty garnish for this dish.
How to make Singapore Noodles
Because Singapore Noodles (or any stir-fry for that matter) come together very quickly, it’s imperative to have all the vegetables prepped and ready. Otherwise, your food is going to burn while you’re running around your kitchen. I know it’s no fun having extra dishes to clean up, but this is one dish you want to set up like a cooking show, with all the ingredients prepped and in bowls so that they’re at hand when you need them.
The first thing you need to do is rehydrate the rice noodles. I’ve found that the best way to do this is to soak them in boiling water just long enough so that they aren’t brittle anymore. Once they’ve become flexible, you can drain them and soak them in cold water until you’re ready to use them. This not only ensures that they’re fully rehydrated, but it also keeps them from sticking together.
For the proteins, I like to marinate them in a combination of soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. This guarantees that they are well seasoned, and by mixing in a little starch, it locks in the moisture.
For the sauce, you just need to combine the chicken stock, fish sauce, and oyster sauce and set it aside.
When all of your prep is done, I start by heating a large frying pan over high heat and then scramble the eggs. To keep them from getting tough and rubbery, I transfer the eggs to a bowl while I stir-fry the other ingredients.
Once the eggs are out of the pan, add the remaining oil, as well as the garlic and ginger. You want to infuse the oil with the flavor of the aromatics, but it’s important not to brown these yet; otherwise, they’ll burn by the time the proteins are cooked.
Next up is the shrimp and pork, which get added to the pan and spread out into a single layer. This allows you to brown them a bit on one side, creating that wonderful wok-charred flavor. Then you can toss them in the pan to flip them over and cook the other side.
When the proteins are mostly cooked through (they don’t have to be fully cooked yet), add the onions, peppers, bean sprouts, and bamboo. You want to keep them moving around the pan constantly to make sure they cook evenly. In addition to stirring with a spatula, I also toss them with the pan. If you’re not confident with your tossing skills, you can use two spatulas and toss them like a salad.
Once the vegetables are partially cooked, add the curry powder and continue stir-frying. The high temperature not only releases the flavor of the spices, but it’s also important to thoroughly cook the turmeric to keep it from being bitter.
Finally, the noodles get drained and added in with the scrambled egg and sauce. If you’ve ever tried to stir-fry rice noodles, you know that it has a tendency to stick together and clump up. By adding a lot of liquid, you’re essentially steaming the noodles. The noodles are done when all of the liquid has been absorbed.
Other Chinese Takeout Recipes
Ingredients
- 160 grams rice vermicelli dried (a.k.a. mai fun or bee hoon)
For shrimp & pork
- 130 grams small shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 130 grams pork loin (sliced into strips)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon potato starch
For sauce
- 3/4 cup
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
For eggs
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
For stir-fry
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 10 grams garlic (minced)
- 10 grams ginger (minced)
- 85 grams onion (1/2 medium, sliced)
- 85 grams red bell pepper (1/2 pepper, sliced)
- 85 grams green bell pepper (1/2 pepper, sliced)
- 140 grams bamboo (julienned)
- 110 grams bean sprouts
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 2 scallions (finely chopped, for garnish)
Steps
Put the Rice Vermicelli in a heat-proof bowl or tray and pour boiling water over it until the noodles are submerged. Use tongs or chopsticks, separate the noodles so that they don't stick together. When they are no longer brittle, drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Put the noodles back in the bowl and cover with cold water to finish rehydrating them.
Put the shrimp, pork, soy sauce, and Shaoxing in a bowl and mix once to combine. Add the potato starch and mix very well. Let these marinate while you prepare everything else.
In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, fish sauce, and oyster sauce.
Heat a large frying pan over high heat until very hot. Add 2 teaspoons of oil, and swirl to coat the pan. Add the egg, and scramble vigorously to make chunks of egg. Once the egg is fully cooked, transfer it to a bowl and set aside.
Return the pan to the stove and add 2 tablespoons of oil along with the garlic and ginger. Fry this for a few seconds until it's fragrant, but do not let it brown yet.
Add the marinated shrimp and pork and flatten so that it's in a single layer. Let this brown on one side until the shrimp is half-way cooked. Flip everything over and brown the other side.
Add the onion, red and green bell peppers, bean sprouts and bamboo. Stir-fry, alternating between tossing the ingredients in the pan and stirring vigorously until the vegetables are a bright color.
- Add the curry powder and stir-fry until fragrant.
Drain the noodles and add them to the pan, along with the egg. Pour the sauce mixture over the noodles and use chopsticks or tongs to toss the noodles like you would a salad. The Singapore Noodles are done when there is no liquid left in the pan.
Garnish with the scallions and serve immediately.
While I adore the softer Asian noodle dishes, there’s just something about the drier Singapore style noodles that makes my heart skip a beat. I’m a happy camper
I like your makeovers! It’s really the thing when cooking at home – you can use lots of fresh ingredients and less of the oil.
I think I’ve seen a similar dish using big flat rice noodles, lots of seafood (mainly squid and shrimp), beansprouts, and some other vegetables, with bits of fried egg scrambled throughout just like this recipe. Maybe they’re related?
I live in a large, densely populated city without a vibrant Chinese culture and there is a Chinese restaurant in every strip mall and next to every grocer, 9 in 10 are full of grease, sugar, salt and often MSG (less so since it has a stigma now).
The description isn’t a misrepresentation, just the food.
In fact, you can get Singapore noodles in just about every cheap diner (cha chaan teng, HK-style tea cafe) in Hong Kong. I would assume that’s where the dish originates from, even though it’s become popular as American-Chinese takeout food.
Now I’m going to crave this dish all day. We are not Asian and as Americans loving Asian food, this just calls our name, even if it’s only made in America.
Now I’m going to crave this dish all day. We are not Asian and as Americans loving Asian food, this just calls our name, even if it’s only made in America.
I know where you’re coming from being Japanese-American myself and seeing the liberties that restaurants take on “Japanese food.” However, I didn’t read the comment made as an attack against Chinese cuisine, but an observation on American Chinese cuisine — pepper steak, crab rangoon, beef broccoli, bourbon chicken (I adore!), General Tso’s chicken, etc. stuff you’d find at Panda Express.  I’m not associated with the blog in any way, so this is just my perception. This dish is on our rotation of meals at home since I love mai fun. Thanks for the tip on placing shrimp and pork in… Read more »
how many does the recipe serve?
This dish reminds me of my late grandfather! We had to get it for him every Sunday from his favorite Chinese restaurant. Thanks for sharing this recipe, looks great 🙂
You must have been reading my mind, I just had this dish last night and was betting I could find a recipe to cook at home. And here it is! Thanks so much, you are making my repertoire even more diverse!!
Anyone know what a good oyster sauce brand is? Most seem to have nothing to do with oysters and more to do with thickeners and faux flavoring.
It so delicious!
great post1 thnk you for sharing!
I’ll be saving this recipe. Whenever I have a craving for noodles at work, I always order Singapore noodles from the nearby restaurant. Today might be another one of those days–I just want to dig in to that first photo!
I’ll be saving this recipe. Whenever I have a craving for noodles at work, I always order Singapore noodles from the nearby restaurant. Today might be another one of those days–I just want to dig in to that first photo!
You beat us to it (once again!) These have been on our “to make” list for forever. I love them like nothing else available from Chinese take-out menus. The dash of curry powder and the heat make this dish for me. It’s even better cold the next day.
You beat us to it (once again!) These have been on our “to make” list for forever. I love them like nothing else available from Chinese take-out menus. The dash of curry powder and the heat make this dish for me. It’s even better cold the next day.
I’m still wondering what Singapore noodles taste like, even though I am from Singapore hehe… Your plate looks really good, and I like the touch of curry powder.
I become so hungry !
I’d still love to see what your version looks like!
While there are some all-natural brands of oyster sauce that don’t have MSG, I haven’t had any luck finding one that I like. You can actually make your own oyster sauce by drying oysters for about a week (or buy them dried), sautéing with garlic and ginger, then adding soy sauce and sugar and cooking down, and pureeing after the oysters soften.Â
It depends on whether you’re serving this as a main or as one of many dishes, but it should feed 2-3 comfortably as a main.Â
Interesting theory! This dish is also found in the UK, so I wonder if it went from Hong Kong to the UK, or the other way around.Â
How true…
I was curious when I saw Singapore noodles in the menu here in the US, cos there is definitely no Singapore noodles done this way in Singapore.
One of my favorite dishes. Yours looks delicious! So easy to make mush out of these noodles but yours  looks perfect
I haven’t had this dish since I was..well, in Singapore a few years back (when I say a few, that means more than 10 years ago). This gives me inspiration on what to cook for dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
I haven’t had this dish since I was…well, in Singapore a few years back (when I say a few, that means more than 10!). This gives me inspiration on what to cook for dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe 🙂
We tired your recipe, it was great! Â Thanks for sharing.
yes they do have these kind of noodles in Singapore. It’s called Sinchow mai fun which translates to singapore noodles. I dont know how come many singaporeans dont know this. Maybe their chinese is not very good..
Thanks for the oyster sauce recipe, Marc! I’ve also been having trouble finding MSG-free oyster sauce.
I was wondering how many people this recipe is for? I had saved it to make tonight, but have no idea how much to make. Thanks!
It should comfortably feed 4.
Yes, i done it for 4 people, and i can say everyone is satisfied 🙂
Thank you!!!
Yes, i done it for 4 people, and i can say everyone is satisfied 🙂
Thank you!!!
This was delicious, I’ll definitely be making it again – if only prawns weren’t so fiddly to de-vein. Only question I’ve got is, when do I add the egg back to the mix? I popped it in at the end, just to re-heat through but it got a bit lost in everything else.
This was delicious, I’ll definitely be making it again – if only prawns weren’t so fiddly to de-vein. Only question I’ve got is, when do I add the egg back to the mix? I popped it in at the end, just to re-heat through but it got a bit lost in everything else.Â
Nice catch! The egg is supposed to go back in when you add the noodles. They do get a bit lost, but they’re more for color and added protein.
I just finished your recipe and of course, I tasted it. It is excellent. At the beginning I was a bit afraid because of the quantity for the fish/oyster sauce but it is an amazing recipe.
Thank you Marc Matsumoto
Thanks a ton for this recipe! It tastes just like the one I crave from a local restaurant, but I can make it with less oil than they do. I also added some sambal oelek for extra heat. Delicious. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Glad I found your site – great pics and a few recipes that I’ve been experimenting with myself… It will be nice to see how your interpretation compares. I’m optimistic. A question before I start… I go to the best Asian supermarket in Toronto (IMHO) – Toronto has one of the largest Asian populations outside of Asia, so we’re qualified… So yes… back to the supermarket. They have an incredible prepared foods section, and while I’m not a big fan of Singapore noodles, I got them last week for a change and fell in love with them again. I note… Read more »
Thanks for your note! As with many dishes, an “authentic” recipe for Singapore Noodles does not exist. I modelled this dish after the Singapore Noodles I ate growing up in Northern California, but if you find that local eateries in Toronto are including 5 spice, I say go for it! As for the mystery ingredient, you’re sure it wasn’t Chinese black cardamon? They’re much rounder and plumper than the Indian version. If you send me a photo it would help in identifying it.
Singapore noodles are actually not made in Singapore. They were created in the UK/US and have since become popular in Asia. So despite the name and yumminess, its not an “authentic” dish.
A fantastic recipe, even though I didn’t use any ginger (not a fan of it) and I will definitely make it again. Instead of using dried noodles and soaking them, several supermarkets sell ‘ready to wok’ noodles which make life so much easier.
here’s a link that compares several brands of oyster sauce: http://www.flavorandfortune.com/dataaccess/article.php?ID=158
I don’t have to order this anymore when I have a craving from the chinese restaurant next door. It is just like the one I crave, but even fresher tasting, and cheaper to do at home, plus it is so easy!
Singapore noodles does exist in singapore, though it is less commonly served now. Our version does not include the use of curry powder, but the rest of the ingredients are somewhat similar to what you are using. Just fyi, it is known as 星洲米粉in some of the more traditional eating places.
Thanks for sharing all these recipes, I really enjoy trying them out, and they taste great. 🙂
This was really yummy, but I doubled the broth because I was using much more noodles/meat/veggies but that turned out to be too much and the noodles became watery. Otherwise the flavor was spot on!
Hi Yaoli, the problem might have been with the size of the pan you used. If you double the amount of noodles in a batch, you also need to double the size of the wok (and use a burner with more heat output) to compensate for the added volume. It’s a stir-fry so if the wok doesn’t have enough surface area (meaning the heat isn’t high enough), it takes to long, and the noodles will get soggy. Next time, try to do it in two batches if you don’t have a double sized wok with a burner to match.
marc, what kind of curry powder should I buy that can be use for many kinds of curry dishes? any specific brand and typeof curry powder that you can suggest? thank you.