Singapore Noodles

An easy, tasty recipe for Singapore Noodles! Stir-fried rice noodles with madras curry powder, tofu and vegetables—a Chinese take-out menu classic that is easy to make at home – vegetarian adaptable and full of authentic flavor!

She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short.― Brian Andreas

Singapore Noodles, contrary to how they sound, actually originate from China and are most often found on Chinese take-out menus around the globe. Why they’re named Singapore noodles is still bit unclear, but rumor has it, a Cantonese chef created these noodles as a way to showcase how multicultural Cantonese cooking could be, by adding curry powder.

In this recipe for  Singapore Noodles, rice noodles are stir-fried in a wok with tofu and vegetables and seasoned with madras curry powder. It is a dry-style Chinese noodle dish, rather than a saucy noodle dish. 

The veggies are very quickly seared and still retain their fresh crunchy texture and vibrancy which I really love. I prefer this dish on the spicy side, but for younger palates, feel free to keep it mild. Today I’ve opted to keep it vegetarian  and used tofu, but chicken or shrimp would work great here too.

Singapore Noodles start with stir-frying the protein, in this case tofu.

Set the crispy tofu aside, then stir-fry the veggies, staring with the sliced onion. Then I added bell pepper, carrots, garlic and snow peas.

Other veggies work well too, like cabbage, bok choy, green beans or mushrooms. A great way to clean out your veggie drawer.

Next, make a well in the center of the veggies and basically, scramble some eggs.

Then set the veggies and eggs aside and stir-fry the vermicelli rice noodles

A little tip. After you cook and drain the vermicelli noodles, cut them into thirds so they are easier to manage in the wok. This will help tremendously!

Give them a quick stir-fry, add a few dried red chilies for heat if you like, then add the veggies and tofu back into the pan.

Sprinkle with the curry powder, the Singapore Noodle Sauce and toss everything well to incorporate.

If you don’t have a wok, a large skillet will work too!

If you are wanting to double this recipe, make sure to cook it in two batches. It would be difficult to manage all in one wok.

Serve immediately with chop sticks, scallions and hot chili paste or chili flakes for those who want extra heat.

The leftovers taste amazing too!

Hope you enjoy this recipe for Singapore Noodles – a dry-style, stir-fried vermicelli noodle dish, hailing from China, with veggies, tofu and the signature ingredient, madras curry powder! Yum!

Singapore Noodles

★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

A tasty recipe for Singapore Noodles! Stir-fried rice noodles with madras curry powder, tofu and vegetables—a Chinese take-out menu classic that is easy to make at home – vegetarian adaptable and full of authentic flavor!

• Author: Sylvia Fountaine
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 3-4 1x
• Category: vegetarain main, gluten-free
• Method: stir-fried
• Cuisine: Cantonese

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 8–10 ounces tofu (or peeled shrimp or chicken) cut into ¾ inch cubes
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1–2 tablespoons wok oil – a high temp oil like peanut or coconut oil
• 4–5 ounces vermicelli rice noodles ( don’t use more-see notes)
• ½ an onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup match stick carrots, or 1 carrot shredded
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1–2 cups snow peas ( or sub green beans, baby bok choy or shredded cabbage)
• 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 2 eggs, whisked with a fork, with a 3 finger pinch of salt
• 3–6 dried red chili peppers ( or sub chili flakes at the end)
• 1  tablespoon madras curry powder ( yellow curry powder)
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon salt, and more to taste

Singapore Noodle Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine ( chinese cooking wine, or mirin, or white wine)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce ( or sub gluten-free soy sauce, like Braggs)
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce ( or sub vegan fish sauce)
• 1 teaspoon sugar or honey or other substitute

Instructions

Bring a medium pot of water to boil on the stove for the rice noodles.

Make the  Singapore Noodle Sauce, stirring the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set by the stove.

Pat dry the tofu and cut into ¾ inch cubes. Heat oil in a wok, over medium heat and add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt directly into the oil. Swirl and add cracked pepper if you like, and when the oil is hot, carefully add the tofu.  Using a metal spatula, stir, flip and let tofu get golden, being patient, about 10 minutes. Place the tofu on a paper towel-lined plate.

While the tofu is getting crispy, prep the veggies: slice the onion, slice the bell pepper and chop the garlic, placing all by the stove, along with the carrots and snow peas.

Whisk the two eggs with a 3 finger pinch of salt in a small bowl. Set by the stove.

Add the onion to the wok and stir 3 minutes, on medium-high heat, until fragrant, then add carrots, bell pepper and snow peas and garlic. Continue stirring for just a couple minutes, until just wilted. Make a well in the center of the veggies, and add a drop of oil, then pour in the eggs, scrambling them and chopping them up a bit with the metal spatula. Incorporate them into the veggies, then slide the whole veggie egg mixture onto a plate, setting aside.

Place the noodles in the boiling water, turn heat off, and let stand 3-4 minutes before draining ( OR read directions on the package, every noodle brand is different) Drain when they are al-dente. Using kitchen scissors, cut the noodles into thirds or fourths (cutting is important!) and fluff them up a bit, pulling them apart with a fork or tongs.

Add 1-2 teaspoons oil to the wok, then add the cooked noodles and stir fry them a bit, over medium heat about 2-3 minutes, letting them soften a bit. Add the whole dried chilies, stirring 1 minute.

Spread the noodles out as best you can in the wok and slide the veggies and seared tofu back into the wok and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon curry powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric and toss and stir until everything is evenly coated.

Pour the Singapore Noodle Sauce into the noodles. It will smell fishy at first but this will disappear. Toss and cook for about 1-2 minutes, until noodles are almost dry. Taste, adjust salt and heat. Add chili flakes for more spicy. More salt if it tastes bland.  Serve right away. Leftovers are delicious too.

This is a dry-style, Chinese Noodle dish, not meant to be saucy. 😉

Notes

If using shrimp or cubed chicken, cook them in the wok, just like the tofu, seasoning the oil with salt and pepper, and cook through, then set aside.

Resist the urge to add more than 4 ounces noodles ( roughly 2 cups dry)  ….I know, it won’t seem like enough at first, but trust me, they will double.  Plus you want this to be veggie “heavy” …and adding more noodles will result in a bland finished dish. 😉

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