Singapore Fried Rice Noodles Recipe (星洲炒米粉)

October 26, 2008

Nate and Annie are the loving couple behind the up-and-coming food blog House of Annie. Annie grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but her father came from Penang, so we love similar foods. Please welcome House of Annie to Rasa Malaysia with their serving of a very popular Chinese recipe: Singapore fried rice noodles or "Sing Chow Mai Fun/星洲炒米粉."

Singapore Fried Rice Noodles (Sing Chow Mai Fun/星洲炒米粉)

Singapore Fried Rice Noodles (Sing Chow Mai Fun)
Guest Writer: House of Annie

Annie loves noodles. Besides her favorite KL-style Hokkien Mee and her Penang-style Char Koay Teow, she also grew up eating "Sing Chow Mai Fun" or Singapore fried rice noodles/vermicelli. So when she came to study here in America, she was excited to find out that the Chinese restaurants here served Singapore fried rice noodles. But what she got was not what she expected....(more picture and recipe after the jump)

The Singapore fried rice noodles we get here in America most often comes flavored with curry! The Sing Chow Mai Fun that Annie is used to in Malaysia do not come with curry! The sauce is completely different there. At first, she was not able to get past it. But as time passed, she came to accept the difference. (Note from Rasa Malaysia: The Singapore fried rice noodles served in Penang is flavored with ketchup and a little chili sauce.)

Singapore Fried Rice Noodles (Sing Chow Mai Fun/星洲炒米粉)

Here is a recipe for Sing Chow Mai Fun or Singapore fried rice noodles; while it may not be the version that Annie is used to in Malaysia, it's one of the best Singapore fried rice noodle dishes I've tasted. There is quite a bit of prep work involved, but once you have everything in place, the cooking should go quite smoothly.

Aloha, Nate

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If you like noodles, you might also want to check out the following noodle recipes on Rasa Malaysia:

1) Chow Mein (Chinese Noodles)
2) Fried Rice Vermicelli/Rice Sticks/Rice Noodles with Chicken
3) Garlic Noodles
4) Indian Mee Goreng/Indian Fried Noodles

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Recipe: Sing Chow Mai Fun (Singapore Fried Rice Noodles/星洲炒米粉)
adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, Nov 2005, pages 64-65

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
8 dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms
12 ounces of fine dry rice vermicelli (Wai Wai brand recommended)
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
8 green onions, root end trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound char siu (Chinese barbecued pork), cut into matchsticks
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons oyster sauce

For sauce:

3 tablespoons Madras (hot) curry powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons granlulated sugar
2 teaspoons hot chili paste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method:

1) If using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them in hot water for half an hour. Drain, then cut off the stems. Slice the mushrooms thinly.
2) Put the rice vermicelli in a large bowl and soak in enough hot water to cover, until the noodles are soft (about 8 to 10 minutes). Drain noodles and set aside.
3) Start by heating up 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the curry powder, the ginger, and the minced garlic, and saute until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, and chili paste. Stir to combine and then cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
4) Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok over high heat. Add in the remaining garlic and ginger, and stir-fry until the garlic starts to become golden. Add in the celery, onion, pepper, sprouts, green onions, and mushrooms. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Set the vegetables aside in a bowl.
5) Heat the last 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok over high heat. Add in the shrimp and stir-fry until they start to turn pink on both sides. Add the char siu and toss to combine.
6) Add in the noodles and the vegetables. Pour on the sauce and also add the oyster sauce. Mix the ingredients thoroughly to coat all the noodles and incorporate all the vegetables.
7) Serve hot.

Labels: Chinese Food, Chinese Recipes