Journalism graduate, Lei Huang produced this video of my Singapore Noodles when she was working on her documentary for her Master thesis project. I was honored to be a part of her short documentary, “Taste of Home” about how food help people build home when they are far away from home.
You can also get a step by step how to make my delicious Singapore Noodles here.
wok cooking
Easy to Make Singapore Noodles!
You’re going to LOVE this easy Singapore Noodle dish, so simple a novice can make it! It’s so delicious and addictive with curry flavors, colorful, crunchy veggies and two different meats, an irresistible one-dish meal. I discovered this popular dish is not from Singapore, what a shocker. I don’t care, my mom who was born in Singapore used to make it for us and that’s all that matters.
How I decided to make Singapore Noodles was because a journalism student, Lei Huang is producing a documentary for her thesis and wanted to videotape me cooking a dish that reminded me of my family and the stories behind it.
The KEY to Singapore Noodles is to fry everything separately, it’s the same concept to a stir fry dish. Once you’re in the flow, it goes really fast. You can apply this technique to ANY noodle dish. Remember, put your personal spin on, that’s what being a Wok Star is all about!
My short Singapore Noodle video gives you an idea of the steps.
Lei’s beautiful version of my Easy, Yummy, Singapore Noodles . Behind the scenes of Lei’s shoot.
Noodles – start by soaking 3 bundles of rice vermicelli in hot water in a pot and cover for about 5 minutes, test if done. Drain in colander and run under cold water, drain well. Add a few swirls of sesame oil and use chopsticks to separate the noodles. Cover with kitchen towel so they don’t dry out. When anything is wet, it’ll stick to the wok and becomes mushy and messy.
Vegetables – typically, onions, green, red bell peppers and bean sprouts, use only a handful and literally flash fry them, otherwise they get watery. I’ve used shredded savoy cabbage (Napa tends to give out water), rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms (don’t use fresh ones, too watery).
Protein – typically, shrimp and Char Siu (Chinese Roast Pork) are used but feel free to try different meats. Use tofu or seitan for vegetarian or vegan version.
Stir Fry in sequence as with any stir fry dish…Vegetables, Eggs, Protein, Noodles and combine.
If you’re a noodle lover, I found this great article all about different types of noodles.
As a Wok Star, I don’t use recipes or measure but I’ve given some guidelines below. This quantity is for 4 people, there was leftovers after 3 of us had 2 servings each. I also got some roast duck and Char Siu as a side dish.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. shrimp
1/2 lb. Char Siu
2 eggs beaten
1/4 each green, red, orange, yellow bell peppers, julienne
Handful rehydrated dry shiitake mushrooms squeezed dry and thinly sliced
2 scallions cut diagonally
3 cloves of garlic diced
thumb size ginger shredded
cilantro chopped
3 bundles of rice vermicelli
Grapeseed oil for frying
Toasted sesame oil for noodles
Curry powder (either from myspicesage.com or Babas curry powder)
TSPC: San-J tamari, medium sherry, white Pepper, cornstarch
Wok Stars, you know the drill…
- Soak, drain, add sesame oil to noodles, cover as directed above.
- Leave all cut veggies on chopping board as shown in photo
- Beat eggs
- Pat shrimp dry, marinade with TSPC. Slice Char Siu into thin slices.
- Heat wok till piping hot, squeeze 3 rounds of grapeseed oil, add 1/2 G&G (garlic & ginger), immediately add all the veggies and fry till how you like it, sprinkle Tamari and curry powder till all gets covered, taste and adjust, plate them on serving platter.
- Heat wok till piping hot, squeeze 3 rounds of grapeseed oil, add egg and swirl to make omelet. Once it sets, chop into small chunks with spatula, add to plate of veggies.
- Wipe out wok, repeat: heat wok, this time swirl in 4 rounds of oil, add G&G, add shrimp in one layer and let fry till golden before flipping and frying. Just as they’re near ready, add in Char Siu to warm through. Sprinkle curry powder till all gets covered, add to plate of veggies and egg.
- Wipe out wok, repeat: heat wok, swirl in 4-6 rounds of oil, add in vermicelli, sprinkle curry powder and move quickly with spatula to toss the noodles. Keep adding curry powder to noodles till all covered. If you keep moving noodles, they won’t stick. Now, add in veggies, eggs, meats and toss to combine well. Plate and garnish with cilantro and serve at once! ENJOY!
Do share your version of Singapore Noodles in comments and let us know how yours turn out?
Secret to Stir Fry Noodles That Don't Stick
Everyone loves stir fried noodles but not when they stick to your wok. My simple rules will guarantee NO-stick noodles if you use a well seasoned cast iron wok. I must confess I was always intimidated frying noodles especially after watching my mom and then my sister fry them so expertly. They did use a LOT of oil but after experimenting a few times, I realized you don’t have to use a ton of oil if you use my technique. You don’t even need to visit an Asian market for any of the ingredients I used in this noodle dish.
Please don’t make this in front of guests till you’ve experimented on your own, less pressure and you’ll be able to think clearly. You’ll notice I was making this for a dinner party with an appetizer of Egg Drop Soup and Apple Galette for dessert. I’ll share those dishes in another post.
HERE’S THE 101 FOR NO-STICK NOODLES…Once you understand the WHY, it’ll be a breeze.
About your wok…
If you are a new Wok Star…don’t make this dish for at least a month till you’ve built up enough patina when your cast iron wok becomes glossy and slick. The MORE YOU USE YOUR WOK, the BETTER the PATINA. If you don’t have a wok, use a wide stainless steel pan but you WILL need to use a lot more oil and I cannot guarantee they won’t stick. This is why I put together a KIT to eliminate all those issues of sticking, it’s not just the wok, you need the heat and then the technique which I’ll share below.
About the heat..
It’s vital to use high heat especially when cooking noodles, otherwise they will stick. If you have an electric stove, good luck.
About the noodles…
If you can’t find Asian noodles in your local supermarket’s Ethnic section, just get thin Italian egg noodles which work FINE! You do know that the Italians learned how to make pasta from the Chinese, right? See technique below. The trick is to get the noodles as dry as possible so they DON’T stick and use OIL in the boiling water to keep them separated while cooking AND add oil while they’re drying as well as when frying of course. Same concept as stir frying vegetables and meat.
Technique for NO-stick noodles…
- Boil noodles in the morning if using for dinner. Keep them Al Dente, if too soft, all the starch comes out and that’s what makes them stick to wok!
- BIG TIP: squeeze in a few drops of oil (avocado or olive oil) into the water, this prevents them sticking. Use chopsticks and separate the noodles while they are boiling.
- Drain really well, wet noodles are another reason for noodles sticking to your wok. Sprinkle toasted sesame oil and make sure oil is covering all the noodles well, use chopsticks and separate them.
- Use kitchen cloth towel and cover noodles to prevent from drying out till you’re ready to use.
Note: you can use just one kind of meat or seafood to keep it simple. You can also just slice the pork and stir fry instead of grilling. My reason for grilling was I wanted to make it like Char Siu (Chinese roast pork.)
Ingredients:
1 head Bok Choy (sub with Broccoli, Broccolini, Cabbage, Baby Boy Choy, Kale, endless choices) cut into diagonals
1 bag multi colored mini sweet peppers (sub with bell peppers, carrots, golden beet)
4-5 scallions, cut into diagonals, green and white
1 big bunch cilantro
1 thumb size ginger, shredded or thwacked
4-5 cloves garlic, diced or thwacked
1 pound shelled, deveined, shrimp (31-40 count)
2 big pork shoulder or spare rib chops
Avocado oil
Toasted sesame oil (NEVER use for high heat cooking please! It’s not stable and become carcinogenic!)
You know the drill…
Seasonings
for marinading shrimp and pork if you are stir frying instead of grilling
Tamari
Sherry
Pepper (white ground)
Cornstarch
Next…
slice grilled pork into bite size pieces
You know the drill…
Heat wok, add oil, add garlic and ginger…
Fry Vegetables – Bok Choy and Mini Sweet Peppers, scallions, sprinkle Tamari and sherry, plate
Heat wok, add oil, add garlic and ginger…
Fry Shrimp – add to plate of vegetables
Heat wok till you see first whisp of smoke, add 4 rounds of oil and let it heat a little before adding noodles…
Fry Noodles – sprinkle a little Tamari and keep tossing the noodles. Since they are well oiled from both boiling and dry AND in the wok, you should be guaranteed NO-sticking! Taste and adjust flavor, add in vegetables, shrimp and pork and keep tossing till all warmed through.
Dish onto big platter, boom, done!
ENJOY! Would love to hear how your NO-stick noodles turned out and what subs or combos you used?
