Singapore Street Noodles. Easy noodles stir fried with a good dose of protein (chicken + shrimp+ eggs), vegetables, shallots, garlic, ginger and curry powder in a really hot wok. Spicy, umami, smoky all in one. It’s hard to find anyone who won’t like these delicious noodles (actually rice sticks(or vermicelli), these are our favorite dish to order at PF Chang’s.
The traditional version uses char siu pork(BBQ pork) but I use eggs, chicken & shrimp. You can skip or add any kind of protein your family likes. This is a super weeknight friendly recipe. For the vegetables I use snap peas and red bell pepper, however bean sprouts and bok choy can be used as well. Like any asian or indo chinese recipe, these do need you to prepare the ingredients before hand- chopping the vegetables, preparing the protein, softening the rice sticks etc , I would say about 20-25 minutes worth of preparation, but once you are done, from there these noodles come together in hardly 6-8 minutes.
What makes these noodles unique is the use of curry powder, the taste of the spices along with asian sauces cooked on high heat lends these noodles their signature color and flavor. That said, I don’t stock curry powder, lets just say, it is not one of my favorite things. But that won’t stop me from making these and neither it should stop you. You don’t have to buy a jar of curry powder which, if you are like me will never get used up after this dish. The secret is to make your own curry blend by mixing coriander powder +turmeric + garam masala(easily available spices in an indian pantry, see measurement in the recipe), works beautifully for that traditional flavor!
These noodles are pretty easy to make and can fit restrictive dietary needs very easily as well. Keep the following things in mind when you make these:-
- Keep all the ingredients ready before you start stir frying the noodles. This includes preparing the sauce, chopping the vegetables and soaking the rice noodles. This is super important and makes your work flow so easy!
- Stir fry on high heat. The right smokiness and taste only comes when the spices hit the hot wok.
- Use a larger wok than you think. If you don’t have a wok, use a wide large 12 inch pan. That way the noodles will not get soggy and will crisp up nicely.
- Don’t skimp on the oil. Noodles need oil to not get sticky and when the oil quantity is right, they get that charred taste instead of tasting boiled.
- Since rice noodles are very delicate and thin, you want to keep those textures going forward, hence cut the chicken into small strips, no one wants to bite into a chunk of protein. Use fork to break the soft scrambled eggs into small pieces or make a thin omelette and use kitchen shears to cut it into small strips. Use medium size shrimp, or cut then into small bites if you have jumbo or extra large at home.
- You can use wheat tempeh strips or tofu in this recipe to make it vegan friendly.
- Use coconut aminos or tamari instead of soy sauce to make it gluten free friendly.
Other Noodle Recipes that you can check out on the blog
Singapore Street Noodles
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp shaoxing wine (chinese cooking wine, if you dont want to use alcohol, simply use chicken broth)
- 1 tsp garam masala ,see notes (1)
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder ,see notes (1)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder ,see notes (1)
- 1.5 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Noodles
- 200 g rice sticks(vermecelli), I use Dynasty Brand
- 5 tbsp cooking oil, divided
- 2 large eggs, whisked with a pinch of salt
- 1, 6oz chicken thigh, cut into thin strips
- 10-12 shrimp, tail on, cleaned & deveined
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
- 1 Thai bird green chillies, finely chopped skip or adjust quantity to tolerance, see notes(2)
- 12-15 snap peas
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- Chopped cilantro, chopped scallion green parts, Lime wedges to serve
Instructions
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- Add the rice sticks to a large bowl and cover with enough hot water. Soak for 5-8 minutes Once they are soft, drain using a colander and keep ready. TIP – Once the rice noodles are soft, use kitchen scissors to cut the noodles short, makes tossing and eating easy.
- In a large wok, add 1 tbsp of oil and heat up. Add the whisked eggs and scramble the eggs untill they are soft cooked. Remove on a plate. Using a fork, break the egg into small pieces.
- Add 1 tbsp of oil next, add the chicken to the wok. Sprinkle salt and pepper and stir fry the chicken on high heat until cooked through. Remove the chicken and all the drippings on the same plate as the eggs.
- Next add another tbsp of oil and add the shrimp, sprinkle pinch of salt. Stir fry the shrimp for a couple minutes until they are opaque and turn orange. Remove on the same plate as the eggs & chicken.
- Make sure that the wok is screaming hot. It will go fast from here. Add the remaining 2 tbsp oil to the wok.
- Add shallots, ginger, garilc and green chillies all at once to the wok.Stir fry on high heat for about 2-3 minutes. Don't brown too much.
- Next add the snap peas and bell pepper to the wok, sprinkle a pinch of salt and stir fry the vegetables on higt heat just for a couple minutes. We dont want to overcook them.
- Next add the rice noodles to the wok along with shrimp, chicken and eggs. Pour over the sauce that we prepared.
- Using tongs or chopsticks or two forks, toss everything together until the noodles and the protein are well coated in the sauce and everything is heated through. This part is a little messy since these noodles do not seperate easily but work your way through.
- Remove from heat and add the cilantro and scallions. Serve immediately with lime wedges.
Notes
- If you stock curry powder at home, use 1.5 – 2tsp curry powder instead of garam masala, coriander and turmeric. If using medium or hot curry powder, skip the green chilli.Â
- Even a single thai bird chili makes these hot, if you want to make these mild, skip it.Â
- Season with a pinch of salt every step of the way. It helps so much with the taste of the final dish.Â
- Keep all the ingredients ready before you start stir frying the noodles. This includes preparing the sauce, chopping the vegetables and soaking the rice noodles. This is super important and makes your work flow so easy!
- Stir fry on high heat. The right smokiness and taste only comes when the spices hit the hot wok.
- Use a larger wok than you think. If you don’t have a wok, use a wide large 12 inch pan. That way the noodles will not get soggy and will crisp up nicely.
- Don’t skimp on the oil. Noodles need oil to not get sticky and when the oil quantity is right, they get that charred taste instead of tasting boiled.
- Since rice noodles are very delicate and thin, you want to keep those textures going forward, hence cut the chicken into small strips, no one wants to bite into a chunk of protein. Use fork to break the soft scrambled eggs into small pieces or make a thin omelette and use kitchen shears to cut it into small strips. Use medium size shrimp, or cut then into small bites if you have jumbo or extra large at home.
- You can use wheat tempeh strips or tofu in this recipe to make it vegan friendly.
- Use coconut aminos or tamari instead of soy sauce to make it gluten free friendly.