singapore stir-fried vermicelli

Singapore stir-fried vermicelli (星洲炒米, sing zai caau mai in Cantonese) is a classic noodle stir-fry dish with rice vermicelli noodles, scrambled eggs, vegetables, meat (usually Cantonese roast pork and prawns) and seasoned with curry powder. This dish actually has no relation to Singapore at all. It is a Cantonese dish commonly found in Hong Kong style diners called cha chaan teng (茶餐廳).

ingredients for making singapore stir-fried vermicelli:

• 2 servings rice vermicelli noodles
• 200g raw prawns
• 60g char siu (Cantonese roast pork) (or you can substitute with pancetta or ham slices)
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 handful of beansprouts

curry mixture:

• ½ tbsp curry powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp white pepper powder
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• Salt to taste

what can I use instead of char siu?

• The protein used in Singapore stir-fried noodles usually consists of slices of char siu (Cantonese roast pork), shrimp and sometimes ham slices. If you want to make char siu, you can follow my simple pork belly char siu recipe, and double the portion so you can use the leftover for this stir-fry noodle dish.
• You can omit the char siu and just use shrimp and ham slices. But if you do want more meat in this dish, you can use pancetta as a substitute. Keep in mind that pancetta is already high in sodium, so you may want to reduce soy sauce and salt to taste.

what type of noodles to use for singapore stir-fried noodles?

• This dish usually uses rice vermicelli noodles (which is called 米粉, mai fun in Cantonese). They are thin rice noodles that are usually used for stir-fry, salads or soup dishes in Asian cuisine.
• You can buy these in an Asian supermarket, but you should also be able to find these in the Asian food section of most western supermarkets.

steps:

1. Rehydrate the rice vermicelli noodles by soaking them in hot water for 5 minutes (or you can boil it for 1 minute). Drain the noodles in a colander and use scissors to cut the noodles in half so that it is easier to stir-fry later. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add beaten egg and let it cook for 15 seconds. Use a spatula to break the egg into small pieces, then remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add some more cooking oil to the pan. Add shrimp and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Then add leftover roast pork (or sliced ham or pancetta), and stir-fry for another 15 seconds. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Lastly, throw in beansprouts and bell peppers and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Then add the rice vermicelli noodles and curry mixture. Stir-fry for another minute, using a lifting motion with the spatula/ chopsticks to loosen up the noodles. Add a little bit of water if the noodles get too dry.
5. Once the curry mixture is well distributed into the noodles, add the shrimp, pork and scrambled eggs back in. Add salt to taste. Toss everything together until well combined. Serve and enjoy!

tips:

1. Cut the rice vermicelli noodles in half or quarters after soaking so that it will be easier to stir-fry the noodles.
2. Stir-frying the egg, shrimp and vegetables in separate batches ensures that each ingredient does not overcook and get soggy.

more noodle recipes:

• Scallion oil chicken noodle
• Beef udon stir-fry
• Hong Kong style Dan Dan noodles

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