Among all my visits, though a few, I have not been able to find these noodles (in Cantonese Sing Chow Chew Mee 星洲炒米) in Singapore so far. Reasons?
So many different stories are there that I can hardly draw a conclusion. But if you believe what Wiki says, then it is not actually from Singapore, but a Cantonese dish of thin rice noodles stir-fried with curry powder, bean sprouts, barbecued pork (char siu), and vegetables. I might be selective in quoting this, well but the truth is, this is a very popular dish in Hong Kong, be it in established Cantonese restaurants or in small teahouses (aka cha tsan ting 茶餐廳).
And there are the dai pai dong, that is the street-side open-air food stalls, where you might be able to witness their chefs tossing these noodles up in the air from the iron woks. To me, holding such a large cooking vessel is already a big challenge, not to mention manipulating the foods at the same time with one single arm. Gladly I have a way to cheat in my kitchen, let me share with you.
- Ingredients
- 100g dried rice noodles
- 75g shrimps (~50g when shelled)
- 2 tbsp shredded barbecued pork
- 50g bean sprouts
- 1 jalapeno chili pepper
- 1/4 pc onion
- 1 egg, beaten with a few droplets of fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp oil for frying
- Marinades for shrimps
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
- Marinades for rice noodles
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp oil
- Seasonings
- 1/4 tsp salt
Method
1) Shell and de-vein shrimps; rinse, pat dry and marinade. Rinse all vegetables, drain dry; shred chili pepper and onion.
2) Scald dried rice noodles in hot water for 15 to 30 seconds or until they just get softened. I use the very thin type of rice noodles so it needs less than half a minute to soften them. If over-done, you will find them easily stuck together and stuck to the wok when frying.
3) Here is where I cheated. Loosen the noodles in a colander and air dry it for half an hour or so. After the noodles are dried, mix them well with all the marinades, i.e. curry powder, turmeric powder, salt, sugar, and oil (add at last) in a bowl. Simply put, I can’t toss with a wok so I add the seasonings as marinades in advance.
4) Over medium heat, heat oil in wok. When heated, sauté onion and chili pepper; add in the only seasoning, salt, and cook them for about a minute or until fragrant; push aside. Put in shrimps, stir fry until done (add some more oil if required), and followed by eggs. As the egg is half fried, stir in all ingredients including shrimps, onion, chili pepper, barbecued pork, marinaded rice noodles and bean sprouts. The noodles and bean sprouts need to be cooked for about a minute or so, during which just constantly turn and flip all of them to assemble well. Serve hot and enjoy!
I shall be happy to share with you more of my posts soon, to get immediate updates and new recipes from here, simply subscribe them via my RSS feeds
You Might also Like
Chinese - Cantonese . Noodle .
- 20 comments
- |
- |
Great! Love the psychedelic colour to increase our appetite
I call this variety of noodle as Asian Cappellini, hair-thin pasta!
I don’t think I can recognise Singapore fried rice noodles. I think there are so many versions. But never mind, I will surely like it as long as the rice noodles are not too soft and of course with so many prawns there, it has to be very delicious and my favourite!
Seriously I don’t even know what is Singapore fried rice! I just like fried noodles
Where did this fried noodles come from? Oh, I’ve asked many times without finding any conclusion. Now, what more important to me is to order one in a Chinese restaurant, or know how to cook this dish at home. Your version with lots of prawns is definitely my favourite.
Wonderful dish! It looks very colourful and tasty. I love the stuff you come up with.
*kisses* HH
These noodles look so easy and flavorful – a great combination!
wow, i’m very impressed! i can never imagine making it at home!
Singapore noodles? I’ve never tried that before even though I am from Singapore. I only see this dish when I go overseas >.< But your version surely makes me want to try it, very yummy looking ^^
I just tried your recipe and substituted the meat with tofu. It was really good, thanks!
Oh wow! What a gorgeous dish!! That looks delicious!
@Jackie, Your substitution sound fantastic for a meatless version. Fact is, I have to save that small amount of char siu from the previous meal. I suppose you were using the dried tofu, the hardest version of tofu which can be cut into thin slices, right? Kindly let me know if otherwise.
I used the firm tofu and lightly floured it. Sauteed it first to get it a little crisp, then added everything else in. Dried or baked tofu sounds like a good idea too! I could never figure out how to get that dry noodle, but I learned from your recipe to soak it in hot water, which is amazingly easy.
Yes it’s true. I always felt strange when I saw Singapore Fried Vermicelli in the US because it was like… so unheard of in Singapore. Hmmm…..
Maybe the curry powder gave it the Nanyang flavors and it became kinda “Singapore”? I don’t know.
I love noodle dishes and yours looks so good.
I always adore this vermicelli stir-fry, it matters no whether it’s originally created in Singapore or simply an American creation…..the curry gives this dish a splendid colour
Yes, this dish is commonly found at Cantonese noodle cafes/restaurants. Funny thing is that in Malaysia, 星洲炒米 is not made with curry powder, but with ketchup and chili sauce with a sweet and sour taste, which I much prefer, but yes, you can’t find this in Singapore because there is no such dish.
This dish looks so great! The curry tops it off for me. Such great flavors!
THANK YOU. I’m from Singapore – this dish doesn’t exist. I am often amused by people from here (America) who look at me and go “but it says Singapore on the menu” as if I’m lying.
Yours looks delicious.
Looks great, thanks!
This dish is my absolute favorite! I live in Miami, Fl and it is so hard to find a decent place who makes them right. I used to live in San Francisco (CA), and over there you find better Asian food (is this the right way to refer to ?) at a much better quality. I tried one time to make them at home, but I proved it to myself one more time, I just can’t cook! Your pics look amazing. Cheers from Miami!