Simple Delicious Singapore Noodles

By
Liv Wan
Liv Wan
Liv Wan is a former professional chef who has published three cookbooks about Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine.
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Updated on 06/22/21
Singapore-style noodles recipe
Liv Wan
Prep: 50 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Singapore-style noodles (新加坡炒米粉, 星洲炒米) is a very popular dish in Chinese takeaways and restaurants in the UK. Some restaurants like to use Char Siu Pork as one of the main ingredients to make this dish but for my recipe I’m going to use chicken breast as this is an ingredient that almost anyone can buy. If you’re not a fan of chicken you can substitute it with pork but my favorite non char siu pork method is to use left over shredded roast chicken or turkey.

Even though this dish is called “Singapore-style noodles” this dish isn’t actually from Singapore. Apparently it originates from Hong Kong and as a result is very popular in Cantonese style restaurants. I personally think Chinese people named this dish “Singapore-style noodles” because they got inspiration from laksa noodles from Singapore. I could be wrong but that’s how I think.

The flavour of the dish is quite strong because the rice noodles in this dish are marinated in ground turmeric and curry powder. You can use different kinds of curry powders to suit your personal preference.

One tip for cooking rice noodles at home. Never buy supermarket already soften rice noodles. These pre-softened rice noodles are simply far too soft to stir-fry. Try to buy dry rice noodles if you can and place them in a big mixing bowl and soak for 10-15 minutes. The water temperature should be a little bit warmer than your bath water. This is how to soften rice noodles at home. It’s not very difficult or time consuming and you can also use this way to adjust the texture of the rice noodles to suit your personal preference.

 

For example, my husband and I like our noodles a little al-dente so I will just soak the rice noodles in warm water for 10 minutes exactly. On the other hand if you want your noodles softer than soak for longer. 15 minutes is just a little bit less than al-dente.

Ingredients

  • 3 bunches rice noodles

  • 1 skinless chicken breast, julienned

  • 1 red pepper, julienned

  • 1 small carrot, julienned

  • 3 heads bok choy, julienned

  • 1 chile pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped

  • 2 slices ginger, finely chopped

  • 1 teaspoon dried shrimp

  • 12 to 15 prawns, shells and veins removed

For the Chicken Marinade:

  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon potato starch

For the Prawn Marinade:

  • 1 teaspoon potato starch

  • 1 teaspoon rice wine

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Rice Noodle Marinade:

  • 1 tablespoon curry powder

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

For the Seasonings:

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 1 cup stock

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Marinade chicken with the marinade seasoning for at least 15 minutes.

  3. Marinade prawns with the marinade seasoning for 5 minutes. Stir-fry it until the prawn turns to red a colour and leave it to one side.

  4. Soak the rice noodles in warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften and drain the water. Marinade with the marinade seasoning for at least 20-30 minutes. You can do this procedure a day before. The rice noodles will keep fresh in the fridge for 3 days.

  5. Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for 15 minutes to soften it and chop finely.

  6. Heat a wok with a couple tablespoons of oil, you can use olive oil, sunflower oil or ground nuts oil. Depends on which is easier for you. Just remember don’t use any oil that’s very strong flavour such as extra virgin olive oil, toasted sesame oil.

  7. Fry the garlic, ginger and chilli first and stir-fry for 20 seconds then add chicken breast and carrot to stir-fry it until the chicken turns a white colour.

  8. Add pepper and all the seasonings to the stir-fry then add the rice noodles.

  9. Using a spoon add small amounts of stock to the noodles and keep stir frying it at the same time until the rice noodles suck up all the stock.

  10. Add bak choi and prawn in the end and keep stir-fry it until the bak choi is cooked. 

  11. You can garnish this dish with some coriander and lime wedge. 

Recipe Variation

  • Corn flour is a good substitute for potato starch.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
318 Calories
4g Fat
49g Carbs
21g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 318
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 70mg 23%
Sodium 1971mg 86%
Total Carbohydrate 49g 18%
Dietary Fiber 5g 18%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 21g
Vitamin C 78mg 391%
Calcium 105mg 8%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 699mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)