This Singapore noodles recipe creates a delicious Asian meal chock full of shrimp, chicken, pork, and vegetables in a spicy sauce. Singapore street noodles are fast to prepare and naturally gluten-free.
I had the pleasure of living in Singapore as well as traveling there many times on business. I fell head over heels in love with the food. When I was living there, Singapore was divided equally between Chinese, Indian and Malaysian cultures all of which blended into a rich and exciting food scene. Despite all of the noodle dishes I grew to love, Singapore Street Noodles was NOT one of them!
There were many noodle dishes that became my regulars. We’d have them for breakfast in spicy broths, as well as lunch or at the local hawker centers (food courts) for dinner where I’d go nightly with my work colleagues. Before I returned to the U.S., Singaporean and American friends would ask me what food I was craving most from home. Honestly there weren’t any since there were a number of larger American chains in Singapore. What I would miss greatly was the local ethnic cuisine, much of which was not available outside Singapore.
The reason I had not become smitten with Singapore Street Noodles is that it is not a Singaporean recipe! It makes them no less delicious but places them in the ranks of foods like French Fries which originate in Belgium, not France.
I traveled down several rabbit holes looking for the basis of what is known as Singapore Street Noodles, and my conclusion is that it’s a dish originating in Hong Kong. Though similar to two particular true Singaporean noodle recipes, this recipe has taken on characteristics of its own. For instance, the addition of the curry. I read a very long conversation thread online started by someone wishing to have traditional Singaporean Street Noodles on an upcoming trip to Singapore. The locals were chiming in about the noodle dish and how they never serve such a dish with curry in it.
I think, as with many favorite foods, versions of Singapore Street Noodles have transformed over time. Some versions have shrimp and chicken, some shrimp and pork; some only one of those meats. Some have curry. Some are spicy. They all use rice noodles (which are naturally gluten-free) and stir fry as the means to combine the flavors in the dish.
I too have created my own Singapore noodles recipe, staying true to the basics of what we know as Singapore Street Noodles in the U.S., adding some of what I love about similar Singapore noodle recipes from that region. It’s a spicy combination of chicken, lean pork, shrimp with a bit bacon for a flavor similar to Chinese barbecue pork. There are sultry spices and some crunch too. The recipe makes a very large batch however vermicelli rice noodles tend to be less filling allowing the diner to eat more to make a meal! What a delicious fate.
One quick tip about stir fry cooking: have all of your ingredients prepared beforehand and at the ready. It’s a fast cooking process allowing everything to retain a great texture, color and flavor. There is no time however to prepare anything during the cooking time.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Nonya Chicken Curry
- Spicy Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice
- Spicy Ramen Noodles
- Korean Noodles
- Butternut Squash Noodles in Sage Brown Butter
How to Prepare Singapore Noodles Recipe:
Recipe
Singapore Street Noodles
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Rice Vermicelli Noodles Also known as Rice Sticks
- 3 tablespoons Peanut Oil
- 4 ounces Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh Cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 2 slices Smoked Bacon Siced horizontally into 1/4 inch wide strips
- 4 ounces Boneless Pork Loin Thin cut and sliced into 1/4 inch wide strips
- 4 ounces Raw Shrimp Shelled and deveined, 26-30 count
- 1 small Yellow Onion Halved sliced
- 1 medium Red Pepper Stem and seeds removed, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger Peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Peeled and diced
- 1 Jalapeño Deseeded and diced
- 1 tablespoon Curry Powder
- 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- 4 tablespoons Tamari Soy Sauce Naturally gluten-free, divided
- 2 tablespoons Fish Sauce Divided
- 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar Divided
- 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 4 Scallions Sliced
- 1/2 cup Fresh Basil Leaves Sliced thinly across the leaf
- 1 cup Mung Bean Sprouts
Instructions
- Place the rice noodles into a large mixing bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside.
- Heat a large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil. When the oil appears to ripple on the surface add the chicken and bacon. Stir constantly for 2 minutes.
- Add the pork and continue to stir for 3 minutes until the meats have lost their color and begun to brown slightly. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Add the shrimp to the wok and stir constantly until they become white and brown slightly; 1-2 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove and add to the meat.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of peanut oil. Add the onion and red pepper to the wok and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
- While the onion and red pepper is cooking, drain the noodles in a colander.
- Add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno pepper; stir for 15 seconds.
- Add the curry powder and sugar. Stir together.
- Add the noodles, 3 tablespoons Tamari, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and toss to coat. Tip: I find using tongs (safe for nonstick cookware) the best way to combine ingredients from this step forward.
- Allow noodles to cook 5 minutes, periodically tossing the ingredients in the wok.
- Turn off heat and toss in the scallions (some may be reserved for garnish), basil and bean sprouts. Finally toss in the remaining 1 tablespoon of each Tamari, fish sauce, rice vinegar and crushed red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
This Singapore Street Noodle recipe is a contribution to Food Fanatic in my role as as the Naturally Gluten-Free Fanatic.
Carolyn says
I’m going to try this one, looks delish!! Looking forward to that Paneer recipe as well!
Toni Dash says
I love this recipe! I hope you will too!
R Ong says
I’m born and bred in Singapore and I’ve never heard, much less seen “Singapore Street Noodles”. The closest we have is the one that started in Hong Kong, as you alluded in the article, and is called “sin chow” ( literally “singapore fried”) noodles, which is a wok fried dish of thin egg noodles with small shrimp and Chinese roast pork (Char Siew), garnished with shredded lettuce. And no there is no curry powder. You probably have it confused with the Malay / Indian styled fried noodles otherwise called “Mee Goreng” (literally “noodle fry”) which has thick egg noodles, potato cubes, tomato, and minced mutton.
I think this “Singapore Street Noodles” is yet another bastardised dish that got wrongly attributed to the country even though its origins are not even Asian. Examples are American Chinese dishes like chop suey, general tsaos chicken or egg rolls. Or how Indians will tell you that “chicken tikka masala” is really a dish that has toned down heat for the British sahibs.
Toni Dash says
Thank you you for taking the time to comment. I’m so glad to see that you agree with all the points I too made about Singapore Street Noodles in this post. I will go on to say that much like other ‘mongrel’ dishes, whose origins are unclear and are inspired by different regions, the ending dish is delicious despite having no clear motherland to claim it!
Stacey S. says
Yum! I can’t wait to try this recipe
Linda Szymoniak says
I love making different Asian-style noodles. I can’t wait to try this recipe.