Singaporean Fried Rice Noodles | Hong Kong Food Blog with Recipes, Cooking Tips mostly of Chinese and Asian styles | Taste Hong Kong

Singaporean Fried Rice Noodles

Singaporen Fried Rice Noodles

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 (大排檔), 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

Ingredients for Singaporean Fried Rice Noodles

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.

Singapore Fried Rice Noodles

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!

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Comments

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  1. the lacquer spoon

    Great! Love the psychedelic colour to increase our appetite 🙂 I call this variety of noodle as Asian Cappellini, hair-thin pasta!

  2. MaryMoh

    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!

  3. penny aka jeroxie

    Seriously I don’t even know what is Singapore fried rice! I just like fried noodles 🙂

  4. Christine@Christine's Recipes

    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. 🙂

  5. Heavenly Housewife

    Wonderful dish! It looks very colourful and tasty. I love the stuff you come up with.
    *kisses* HH

  6. Cookin' Canuck

    These noodles look so easy and flavorful – a great combination!

  7. lululu

    wow, i’m very impressed! i can never imagine making it at home!

  8. noobcook

    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 ^^

  9. Jackie

    I just tried your recipe and substituted the meat with tofu. It was really good, thanks!

  10. Sook @ My Fabulous Recipes

    Oh wow! What a gorgeous dish!! That looks delicious!

  11. TasteHongKong

    @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.

  12. Jackie

    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.

  13. tigerfish

    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.

  14. Nancy aka Spicie Foodie

    I love noodle dishes and yours looks so good.

  15. Angie's Recipes

    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

  16. Rasa Malaysia

    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.

  17. Lori

    This dish looks so great! The curry tops it off for me. Such great flavors!

  18. tabitha

    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.

  19. Skylar

    Looks great, thanks!

  20. Miami Culinary Tours

    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!

  21. Wendy

    This dish is popular in Hong Kong. It is probably a fusion food created long time ago. It looks complicated and I never thought of trying to make it. Your recipe makes it possible and it turned out great. I like you cheating method. It prevents the noodles from sticking to the wok and it is easier to do the tossing before frying. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

  22. milkitchen

    Oh I love Fried Singapore rice noodle, it is very popular in Malaysia and you are right, they do come in quite a few versiona but mostly cooked with curry powder. Some did it in chili sauce. The best one I have eaten is at Restaurant Wong Kee in PJ. I always wonder how to cook this dish, now I know. Thanks for sharing!

    Oh the marinating the noodle first is a good idea! I can’t toss food in wok too! 😀

  23. fish

    We have awesome stir-fry Hong Kong noodles in Singapore tho. 😉 Came across Singaporean stir-fry noodles in Canada and was frantically trying to convince my friends that this cant be found in Singapore. Haha!

  24. TasteHongKong

    @fish,
    But sounds like you were happy persuading them, haha! Enjoy your noodles again …

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  26. Diann

    My husband and I loved the Singapore Noodles served at the Mariners Club in Hong Kong. As airline crew we went there often. We have been trying to duplicate the dish and are going to try your version. Hope it is very similar.

  27. TasteHongKong

    @Diann,
    Hope you and your husband like my cheated version here, enjoy!

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  29. Sailor Mike

    When I was in Singapore on Navy duty I had a very similar dish to this at a small hawker stall right off Sembawang Road — it was also called “Hong Kong Noodles” and also had some grated ginger in the mix. Back here in New York, dishes like this are invariably called “Singapore Noodles”.

    Thanks for posting! I will be trying this out for sure!

  30. TasteHongKong

    @Sailor Mike,
    You are welcome! I think that is part of the pleasure of traveling, experiencing how different cultures interpret foods.
    Thanks for sharing and enjoy this soon!

  31. petra

    Great meal, tried it tonight and couldn’t stop eating. It is soooo good I’ll be making it very soon again!!!! Thank you

  32. TasteHongKong

    @petra,
    Thank you for your kind feedback, I know this is addictive! Enjoy, again …

  33. Spicy Singapore Noodle Fan

    These are sometimes labelled Hong Kong Singapore noodles in Australia (if you see both Singapore Noodles and Hong Kong Singapore Noodles on the same menu, the Hong Kong Singapore is spicier/stronger in flavour, made with more curry). Also sometimes curry is available as an extra (Singaore Noodles with curry), the extra version is the stronger one. Not an American creation, these are from Hong Kong. Usually a cheap-ish option, very popular with students and in some restaurants is served in a similar way to fried rice. If you like the spicy kind, avoid places which serve white looking noodles (too bland).

  34. kpcook

    How many does it serve

  35. TasteHongKong

    @kpcook,
    For one if taken as a main dish; could be for two if taken as side.

  36. Isobel

    Amazing! Cooked it, loved it, thank you so much, I added a few extra Asian veggies – it just made it more beautiful

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  40. Rob

    This wonderful dish has been one of my favourites for many years. I often order it at my favourite Chinese restaurant in the UK, the Wong Kei in London’s Chinatown, which I have been visiting since 1990 – sadly, I no longer live in London. I’ve started taking my Chinese cooking much more seriously in recent years, and I try to make my dishes as authentic as possible. I’ve tried this recipe for the first time today, and it is the first time I have ever cooked Singapore Noodles. This recipe is very close to the version served at the Wong Kei, and is exactly the taste I expected and hoped for. I used a more traditional (no “cheating” 😉 ) technique, and it works perfectly. 唔該 for this wonderful recipe!

  41. TasteHongKong

    Rob,
    Thanks for sharing, and glad that you like this too. 唔使唔該!

  42. Lisa C.

    Thank you so much for a terrific recipe. I tried it tonight and my friend thinks this is an extremely close duplicate of the dish we enjoy so much in the restaurant. I can see us making this weekly from now on, we love it so much! Cheers!

  43. TasteHongKong

    @Lisa C,
    Cheers! Am excited to hear how much you love this. In case you want to go for a different noodle stir-fry, give this or this a try.
    Enjoy!

  44. salmonfire

    this is about the best recipe you can find on da Net, however the Cook i worked with in an Asian restaurant would put a beaten egg in the pan with the noodles and stir quickly to distribute an invisible coating of egg which binds everything together, then stirfry for a few more seconds. thanks for posting!

  45. Lesley

    This was always my favorite dish to order out when I went to the cha chan teng. I absolutely loved the dry texture of the rice noodles and intense curry flavor. This recipe was very easy and delicious! As a college student, I struggle to find foods that remind me of home. I also prefer cooking at home (cheaper!). This definitely hit the spot It tastes just like restaurant. I will be making this often! Thank you for this recipe and your wonderful website in general! I love Hong Kong!

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