Stir-fried rice noodles with veggies in curry powder. That is, at its essence, what Singapore Stir-Fried Noodles is, but allow me to elaborate.
I’ve been binge-watching No Reservations and Parts Unknown again. While America describes itself as a melting pot, Anthony Bourdain called Penang a mosaic of cultures.
I think the word “mosaic” is very fitting for this dish. You get the saltiness from the sauce, the sweetness from the Chinese barbecue pork, the heat from the curry powder, the spiciness from the jalapeno, the bitterness from the celery.
All of these flavors are then combined with a variety of textures: crunch from the vegetables, springiness from the noodles, softness from the eggs. And then you jam all of this into your mouth?! It may seem cacophonous, yet it is so surprisingly harmonious.
This is a stir-fry, so moisture is an enemy and must be eliminated wherever possible. Thus, the veggies are cooked separately, and only a small amount of bean sprouts is permitted.
And for any spice-fearing friends, this is not a sweat-inducing dish even though curry is a key ingredient. You can eliminate the jalapeno if you want, but I don’t think it’s the same without it.
If you like this Singapore Stir-Fried Noodles recipe, try my:
Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
Cantonese Soy Sauce Noodles (豉油皇炒麵)
Singapore Stir-Fried Noodles (星洲炒米粉)
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Mains
- Method: Stir Fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
Get a multitude of flavors from this authentic Asian recipe: salty, sweet, heat, spicy, bitterness, it’s all in there! Combined with a variety of textures, this dish is cacophonous yet surprisingly harmonious.
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound of shrimp, shelled, deveined, pat very dry and chopped into bite size pieces
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, thinly sliced
- 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated, stems removed, sliced
- 1 small carrot, thinly sliced into strips
- 2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced into strips
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced into strips
- ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 8 oz of dry rice noodles, rehydrated and drained
- 3 oz of Chinese barbecue pork, thinly sliced
- 6 sprigs of green onions, green parts chopped into 2-inch pieces, whites discarded
- 2 handfuls of mung bean sprouts, rinsed and dried well
- 1 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 2 1/2 tablespoon of Madras curry powder
- Neutral-flavored cooking oil
SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine (I like Guangdong style)
- 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
- White pepper
- 1/4 cup of mushroom soaking liquid
Instructions
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients of the sauce. Set aside.
- Cook the shrimp. Preheat a large pan to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan. Add the shrimp and allow them to cook undisturbed for 30 seconds. Mix and continue cooking until the shrimp turns pink. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Cook the eggs. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the eggs and mix. Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon of cooking oil into pan. Add the eggs and swirl the pan to coat the entire bottom. Allow the eggs to cook untouched. Once the bottom side of the egg pancake is set, if there is any raw egg left floating on top, flip the pancake so the raw parts get cooked (it’s okay if the pancake breaks). Transfer the pancake to a cutting board and slice the pancake into short, thin strips. Transfer the strips into the same large bowl that the shrimp are in.
- Cook the veggies. Crank the heat back up to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan. Add garlic, jalapeno and mushrooms and stir to cook until fragrant. Add carrots, celery and peppers and saute for one minute. Add onions and saute for another minute. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of Madras curry powder into the vegetable mixture. Combine well and cook the veggies for one more minute. Transfer all of the veggies to the same large bowl that the eggs and shrimp are in.
- Put it all together. Add one final tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan. If the noodles have become clumpy, loosen the noodles with your hands and then add them into the pan. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cooked shrimp, eggs, veggies, Chinese barbecue pork, green onion and bean sprouts into the pan. Stir and mix everything well. Add the sauce and the remaining 2 tablespoons of Madras curry powder into the pan and mix, mix, mix until everything is well incorporated. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking, if necessary. Serve immediately.
Notes
- There is a lot of goodies in this dish. This is not recommended to be a weeknight meal since there’s so much prepping involved. If time is of essence or your fridge is a little empty, you can omit some vegetables if you’d like and add less sauce.
- Preparation is key to making this dish. There is no downtime once you start cooking so have everything ready to go before turning on the stove.
Keywords: Noodles, Stir Fry
